The Longest Journey
by Milaya Milen Zeal
Summary: The Gem Archipelago is said to be one of the most difficult regions for Pokémon Trainers. This is the region where Hiiro begins his journey to find his own path in the world.
1. GA Saga: Prologue

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Prologue**

* * *

"You shouldn't go outside; it's dangerous. Never ever take a step outside!"

How many times had he heard those words? Too often, that's how many. Ever since he could remember, he'd been a prisoner of his own "home". He didn't consider it his home, so did it really count?

Never an explanation; just "stay inside". It pissed him off.

He was as pale as a ghost, never allowed to go outside to play in the sun like the other kids. And as for going out on a journey with Pokémon? Hah! Forget _that_!

Which was exactly why he was where he was now; on the verge of climbing out his own window. His father had gone to bed some time ago, so there was no need to worry about that. However, the door was locked with an automatic timer, so he couldn't take the easy way out.

Not like he really cared much.

Stuffing the last of his supplies into his bag, he grabbed a small wallet and jammed it into his pocket. There wasn't much money in there, but he knew he could enjoy a free meal at Pokémon Centers if he came across one. His only concern was how he was going to do this properly. He'd never really gone on "practice camping" before, but he'd seen plenty of movies about it to know the basics.

And there was _one_ thing he wouldn't dream of leaving without.

Moving over to the nightstand, he picked up a single red cap and plopped it atop his head, before turning to regard himself in the mirror. He had to admit, he didn't look anything like he had when he'd gone to bed that evening, and anyone would have a hard time recognizing them even _if_ his father sent out a 'Missing' notice.

His once shoulder length black hair had had a most dreadful encounter with his pair of scissors, and while his hair didn't look that impressive, it made him a bit more unrecognizable. Add to that his simple blue jeans, dark shirt and simple jacket, topped of with his red and white cap, and you had someone totally new.

Satisfied with the result, he finally slung his bag on his back and walked to his window, pulling it open and climbing through. He was glad they had a diagonal roof, allowing him to slide off before he had to jump down to solid ground, which wasn't even that high up.

Taking a moment to get his bearings, he looked up slowly to the house in which he had lived for so long.

For a long moment, he hesitated, but then his steeled his nerves and turned around, running away as fast as his legs could carry him.

Running to face, quite possibly, the longest journey he'd ever make in his life.

* * *

**The Gem Archipelago is a personal project I've been working with for a long time. This story takes place after Black and White, but this first "saga" features mostly Pokémon from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Generation, with a few minor exceptions for certain Trainers.**


	2. Chapter 1 Pokémon Shelter

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 1: Pokémon Shelter**

* * *

Over 40 years ago, the Gem Archipelago had been nothing more but a group of islands that had been completely uninhabited by humans, but now it was any Pokémon Trainer's playground. The vast areas were rich with Pokémon that people claimed were by far stronger than their brethren in other regions. Not to mention the Pokémon Trainers that had made their homes here were some of the best worldwide.

The Nova Plateau's Champion held the current record when it came to holding on to the title of "Pokémon Champion", which at this point was almost 20 years, already. Most of the information available on the Champion, though, was the most basic of knowledge one could get, and he seemed to prefer it that way.

There were many cities with Gyms on the Gem Archipelago for Trainers to challenge, but due to the high demand caused by certain trainers, transport to and from the Archipelago was very well monitored. Only a select number of Trainers were allowed to come to the Gem Archipelago per year, randomly decided by a lottery.

Still; people born and raised on the Archipelago, whether they were Pokémon Trainers or not, once they became of age, they counted as one and they always had more privileges than immigrants from other regions.

In other words; if you could go on a Pokémon journey in the Gem Archipelago, you were considered to be extremely lucky.

* * *

"Thaaat stuuuuuunk!" came an irritated and angered young female voice echoing from the path from Mt. Ruby.

From the path two figures were seen. The one housing the voice that cried out was a young girl, in the youth of that of a new face to a Pokémon journey's age. She was of fair height for a ten-year-old girl, slightly thin with a tint to her skin showing mixed heritage. Her hair a mix of dark browns and beige colors, heavily curly about her bangs down to her shoulders, the curls of her bangs bouncing around her deep green eyes. She was wearing a short purple and frilled collared shirt, a skurt down to above her ankles, the belt a phanny pack with additional hanging pockets, finished off with a set of flip flops at her feet.

Resting her hands behind her head she gave another irritated sigh. "Why wouldn't that darn Leader let me fight ems meeew! We were so fired ups!"

The second, older figure, well-past the youth of one out for his Pokémon journey, gave a chuckle in response. He was in his late twenties, also a fair slight orange tint to his skin. Donning a dark black tee-shirt, overlapped by a white vest, faded blue jeans and black sneakers, well worn in by long travels. The elder traveler's dark silver locks covering a set of red goggles resting about his forehead, which gave a little shade to his sky blue eyes which smiled a bit warmly to the young girl as he shifted the old traveler's sack about his shoulder as he pat her back.

"Easy kit, it happens sometimes. There's tha next gym after all in tha horizon."

"I'm not a kitten papa…" The girl growled out, looking down as her foot gave a kick to a stone along the path. "I'm a grown girl on my Pokémon journey!"

The girl's 'papa' gave another chuckle as he rubbed her back as she slumped, slowing down to meet her pace. "I know tha Ketlin, I was on this road before…well not this road, Arceus knows I've been on too many to count…"

Ketlin, after a moment or two more of attempting to pout, gave a small laugh looking up to her father. "Yeah papa the "Pokémon Jack-Masters" been on all the roads," she added with another giggle after her father's fingers began to poke at her sides. "Eeh! Hehehe…! PAPA! LOOK!" the girl cried out, pointing ahead of the road towards the silhouette of a form passed out along the path.

As they ran towards the figure, they realized that it was actually a boy of roughly 14, maybe 15 years of age, wearing simple blue jeans, a dark shirt and a simple jacket and sneakers, as well as an old-looking cap of some kind. His black hair was messy and looked like it had had a very unpleasant meeting with a pair of scissors. Not to mention that he looked extremely pale, which was not a good sign, to say the least.

"Oh mew, he's a big mess…" Ketlin frowned out, brushing along some of his messy hair, before giving a blink at the cap as her father began to pull the teen up on his back.

Snapping his neck a bit, the older adventurer gave a growl. "We can worry about tha mess of his after he's checked in by Topaz Town, its close by an he needs treatment pronto. Eash be easier if Pokémon meds worked as good on humans. Common kit." He nodded simply to his daughter, before the pair began to rush off.

* * *

The first thing that registered in his mind was the following; 'Ow… that hurt…'

Groaning, he scrunched up his face, before attempting to open his eyes, blinking slowly but not seeing just yet, his dark blue eyes blurry. Once his vision cleared a little, his second thought was; 'Wait… where am I?'

"Alright he's awake! Hey if you do, you know, pass on after this, if you turn into a Ghost Pokémon I'm gonna catch you as a thanks for getting you here kay?" Ketlin giggled out beside the boy, lightly patting his arm as she turned about. "Papa he's awake!"

"Ah good" the silverhead chuckled out with a nod, muttering with a small smile "Cha lucked out tha we were out there, kid."

"Whuh… I… where…?" the boy managed to get out.

"Alright, alright, that's quite enough, you two," said a firm female voice. "We don't want him passing out on us again, do we?"

The voice came from a woman with long brown hair, part of it secured in a bun and the rest hanging down her back. She was dressed in some easy clothes, but also wore a long white coat over it.

Walking over, she placed a hand on the boy's forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm… okay, I guess… A little disoriented… but I'm okay…"

"Good. Can you remember your name?"

"…It's… Hiiro," the boy said after a moment of thought.

Nodding, the woman allowed a smile. "Good. I was almost afraid you might have amnesia. You hit your head pretty hard."

"…I did?" Awkward; he didn't remember that. "…Where… where am I?"

Piping in quickly, the young trainer, Ketlin shot in "The PokéShelter in Topaz Town. You were a real mess out there if it wasn't for me an my papa spotting you on our way here. What were you doing that you were knocked out like thats anyways, and for that matters…"

"Down kit," the girl's father said simply, raising a hand to stop Ketlin's rambles from getting further in. "I'm Tensuno Shonen, jus call me TJ. This is my daughter, Ketlin. Like she said we saw cha on tha way here an brought you here."

"Oh… th…thank you…" Hiiro managed to get out, still a little confused. "Wait… Topaz Town…?"

"Yep, that's here," the woman said with a smile. "So, you think you can sit up?"

"…I think so…" Hiiro mumbled, before he groaned and pushed himself up, holding his head as it pulsed a little. "Ow… my head…"

"Yeah, easy with that. Like I said, you hit your head pretty hard."

"…I noticed…"

Shaking her head, Ketlin gave a curious look to Hiiro, before muttering simply "Why were you out there like that? Why weren't any of your Pokémon trying to at least help you out let alone not get you to here?"

"…I… don't have any…" Hiiro confessed quietly.

The young girl, gave a surprised blink at that reaction before she managed a flat "You're kidding me…"

TJ gave his own blink, narrowing his eyes in thought as he crossed his arms as he muttered "No Pokémon? Not a partner or even pet or friend? At cha age?"

Hiiro, obviously embarrassed over the fact, slowly shook his head.

Even the woman seemed surprised at that, humming a little. "Well, this is a predicament…" she murmured, before she seemed to think. "Hmm… well, you're obviously set to travel, but I have to say; without a Pokémon by your side, you're not gonna make it far."

"He already kinda didn't…" Ketlin began, before a small sound from her father's throat silenced her in an instant

Hiiro winced at that, before the woman continued. "So why not pick someone from here?"

Blinking, Hiiro looked up. "Excuse me?"

"The Pokémon Shelter is a place for Pokémon who were either abandoned, lost from their original habitat, or just left without a Trainer because he or she passed away. I'm sure there's someone around here who wouldn't mind being your partner on this trip you're clearly setting out on."

"Sounds good to me miss, I'll help! I'm good at that kinda thing!" Ketlin grinned out, quickly wrapping her arms to hook up Hiiro's own. "Come on Hirry lets go get you a partner!"

"Urk! Ketlin, wai-" But the woman's warning came too late as Ketlin's yank effectively pulled Hiiro off of the bed he was on and onto the floor with heavy thud accompanied by a pained cry. "…Ketlin, don't go pulling someone who's half awake and lying in bed, alright?"

"Er…whoops" the girl muttered, looking down to Hiiro in embarrassment.

"Kit, settle down already. Not everyone's got cha 'fighten spirit'," Ketlin's father growled out, helping Hiiro back up onto the bed a bit. "Gomen."

"Ow… it's okay… I'm alright… that… just surprised me. That's all…" Hiiro groaned out, rubbing his side for a moment, before he got to his feet. "Okay… let's go… um… sorry, I didn't…"

The woman laughed. "It's Crystal. Well now, let's get you set up, shall we?"

"Alright."

* * *

Before long, the small group stepped into a room leading further down, where numerous types of Pokémon were seemingly relaxing or playing a game with some of the others. Though there were also a number of Pokémon that seemed rather down in the dumps, to put it bluntly.

"Their souls feel…are they okay, Crystal?" the young girl frowned out, looking between the Pokémon who looked less spirited as the others.

"Some of them, yeah. Others, not so much," Crystal admitted. "I already requested a transport from here to the GAPR for those who have been here for a little over three months."

Hiiro looked over to Crystal curiously. "The GAPR? Isn't that the Pokémon Reservoir just outside of the Archipelago?"

Blinking a bit along with his daughter, the silverhead gave a small cough before nodding "Gomen, were new ta these parts, wha exactly's tha 'GAPR', think I mighta heard of it but not sure…"

"The Gem Archipelago Pokémon Reservoir, or GAPR as everyone calls is, is a reservoir where Pokémon go to when they are either on the verge of extinction or when they have become too old to travel with a Trainer after their original Trainer has passed away," Hiiro explained almost casually. "About 30 years ago, Trainers hunted down certain species of Pokémon down to the brink of extinction, so the GAPR was founded to attempt to counter that."

"Correct," Crystal said with a nod. "Plus, a new law was initiated on the Archipelago that prohibits Trainers from catching more than one of any type of Pokémon."

Giving a nod, the young girl muttered "Oh so its someplace safe for Pokémon, hehe. Lotta Gym Leaders I seens would hates that one of types rule keke."

TJ gave his own nod, crossing his arms a bit in thought as he responded "Makes sense, probably has a fair number of Pokémon Rangers to keep an eye out for tha poor guys too…"

Crystal nodded and walked down the stairs, leading the others along. Upon reaching the bottom, they noticed another person sitting amidst a small group of Pokémon, Vulpix cubs by the looks of it, which were barking hyperly as they attempted to reach the rope held _just_ out of their reach.

"Oy, Sill!" Crystal called out, making the other person look up curiously. He was a man with fiery red hair that framed his face, and a set of dark brown eyes that were slightly slanted. Like the woman, he wore a white coat over his clothes.

"Yes, Crystal, what is it?" he asked simply.

"Hiiro here wants to start his Pokémon journey today," Crystal said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, making Hiiro jump momentarily. "I was hoping you could help set things up for him."

The man sighed as he lowered the rope in his hand enough for one of the cubs to snag it and dash off with it, the other cubs hot on its tail. "Or in other words," he said as he stood up, "you want me to do the boring part." To that, Crystal merely shrugged with a small smile on her face, to which Sill sighed. "Okay, fine, fine. This way, kid," Sill said, gesturing for Hiiro to follow him further into the room.

Hiiro decided not to question the exchange between Crystal and Sill, and instead followed him to the other side of the room, where they had set up a small podium with a computer. It had probably been elevated to keep some of the more energetic Pokémon away. Though that probably didn't stop all of them.

Looking back, Hiiro noticed that the others had stayed behind with Crystal. Turning back to Sill as he started working on the PC, Hiiro seemed to weigh his options, before he asked, quite bluntly: "Um… you and Miss Crystal are married, right?"

At that, Sill blinked in surprise and looked over. "…Good eye," he said after a moment, glancing down at his left hand. Or more specifically, the simple golden ring resting securely on his ringfinger. "Yes, we are. Does that surprise you?"

"Well… a little… You… um… don't seem the type to… …sorry."

"Don't bother," Sill said with a shrug, continuing to work. "I get that a lot."

"Oh…"

After a moment, Sill said simply: "I assume you don't have a Pokémon Trainer ID card, correct?"

"Um… no I don't."

"Right then… stand right here."

"Here?"

"Yes. You know the rules for this?"

"Yes sir."

"…Just Sill is fine. Sir makes me feel old."

"Sorry…"

"Anyway, don't move."

Hiiro figured it was better not to answer and waited patiently as Sill worked on a few things as he stood with his back to the white wall. A few moments later, Sill nodded.

"Right, that's done. Next…"

Nodding, Hiiro walked back over and watched quietly as Sill worked rapidly on the PC. "Okay… I need you to enter the data required here."

* * *

"This is okay… right?"

"Hmhmm… I would say so. Alright. That should be the last of _that_."

Sill typed in a few more things, before reaching out and pulling out a few items. After looking them over for a moment, he seemed satisfied and held out one of the items to Hiiro. "This is your ID card. You're only issued one, so don't lose it."

"Okay."

"This is your PokéDex. It's waterproof, so it can work underwater as well as above. Only the voice will be replaced by written text when submerged."

Handy; he'd have to remember that if he ever managed to get the equipment to dive somewhere to find rare underwater Pokémon.

"And lastly… this is a Badge Case," Sill added, handing a small rectangular case to the teen.

"Badge Case… you mean for Gym Badges?"

"Yes. Whether you decide to take their challenges is up to you entirely, but it'd be easier just taking one along with you."

"Alright. Thank you."

"Whatever. Just get going; Crys probably wants to get the next part done with before the transports arrive in an hour."

"Ah! Right."

* * *

After a moment of watching the young Vulpix cubs, Ketlin blinked looking over as Hiiro returned, grinning out with a wave as the boy was within earshot. "Hey Hiirings! I think I found a good partner for you!"

"'Hiirings'?" Hiiro mumbled, before walking over.

"Yes, yous Hiirings" Ketlin said simply, before she turned her attention ahead, pointing out a sleeping figure among the crowd. "Hims." As Hiiro turned to where she pointed, the young boy could make out the small figure, of a rather undersized fighter type Pokémon, Tyrogue.

"…Tyrogue? Why him?" Hiiro asked curiously.

"Cause you'd help each other grow better" the girl responded as matter of fact, turning back to the boy besides her as she went on, not spotting the sleeping Tyrogue giving its head a sleepy scratch "He's really bolds, willy, an energetics. Yous all…ums how to puts…'shadowy', he'll help get you to be bright an you help hims cool ups."

"I'm… not sure if we'd be fit for each other like that…" Hiiro admitted.

Ketlin looked to Hiiro for a minute before she shrugged. "You'd make a stinky clock you know? If the gears all look an were exactly the same they couldn't make one tick you know. Just cause your Pokémons opposite of how you can be will just help you grow and same sos. My Pokémons an Papas were the same ways…papa even mentioned a boy whose first Pokémon almost zapped him to deaths lots of times too." As an afterthought, the young girl added "Course, you could always ask him his option, right?"

Before Hiiro could say anything or make a move, though, Crystal came over and said: "I'm afraid that, even if the two would hit off right away, it's not allowed for Trainers to start with one of what people like calling the 'overpowered trio'."

"Overpowered?" Hiiro questioned in surprise.

"Psychic, Dark and Fighting types," Crystal explained. "Many Trainers agree that those three classes are some of the stronger ones that are known at this point. That's why we're not allowed to give either of those types to starting Trainers."

"…well that stinks, woulda been a good friend too…hmm." Ketlin sighed, before she began to muse a bit, her eyes giving an odd glint as she gazed about to the batches of Pokémon "Well, there was another one after him that isn't one of the 'trios' thing…"

Before Ketlin could point someone out, though, Hiiro looked past her, frowning, before he asked: "What's with that one over there?"

Crystal blinked and looked over to where Hiiro was looking. Laying quietly in the corner was a tiny Pokémon with brown fur, and a tan collar of fur on around its neck; an Eevee. "Oh… that one. He was caught by a Trainer as a pet for his son… but unfortunately… his son had a chronicle heart disease. He lived for about 8 months after getting Eevee and died in the hospital. Little guy was brought here after the funeral."

"Oh, that was why he felt so down," The young PokéAdventuress muttered, before shaking her head glancing back over to Hiiro. "He was my other choice. He's a bit like you, cept being a little down cause of…well that, but there's a side that's a little curious too…that might get you into some trouble sometime though." She giggled from the afterthought.

However, Hiiro didn't appear to be listening to Ketlin's words, seeming to be more focused on the small Pokémon. The fact that it was curled up as it was only made the little guy seem that much smaller, let alone the crestfallen look on its face.

For a moment, he just stood there, before silently making his way over to it.

Blinking as he moved, the young girl began to go to follow him, before her father's hand at her shoulder held her back suddenly "Ah, Papa but…"

"Kitten, sometimes a person needs to follow tha route of their soul on their own, they don' need cha eyes for tha…"

"…saa, yes papa…"

* * *

Hiiro slowly made his way to the small Pokémon, keeping a careful eye on the small one's behavior. Not that there was much to worry about. The Eevee remained coiled up as it was, its ears drooped down to flop onto the floor.

Taking a moment to think, Hiiro finally crouched down, watching for a few moments, before he spoke. "…I'd ask 'how are you?' but that would be a dumb question, huh?" he murmured, making Eevee's ears twitch. "…I can't say I know what you must be going through… completely, at least. I never really lost a friend before… not in that way, I mean. But I do know what it's like to lose a parent… Must've been hard… being pulled away from them without having a say in the matter, huh?"

Slowly, the Eevee raised its head to look over to Hiiro, its ears twitching curiously.

"I was pulled away from mom a long time ago… I still had my dad, but…" Hiiro sighed. "It's just not the same… I really want to see her again. You do, too, right?"

"…Eeveee!" the small Pokémon whined, its ears perking up a little.

Hiiro smiled. "Well, I was wondering… I'm planning to go look for her while I'm on a trip around the Archipelago. Would you like to come with me to look for your mom as well? Once we find her, you can go back to her."

A those words, the Eevee perked up entirely, its face lighting up, before it let out a happy cry and abruptly pounced on Hiiro. Said boy yelped, the sudden force of the Eevee smacking into his chest knocking him back on his ass, before he laughed.

"Okay… I'll take that as a yes."

"Eevee!" the small Pokémon cried out happily.

* * *

"Well I'll be…" Crystal murmured. "That little one hasn't given a peep since he came here and that kid manages to get him to open up without any trouble…"

"Hmm… he's got potential… that's for sure…" Sill agreed, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Heh, always good ta see a pup with tha chance ta shine start his first steps," TJ chuckled out, rubbing his nose a bit as he gave a little sigh, apparently lost in thoughts of the past

Ketlin, gave a small smile herself, looking a bit to the ground in some more melancholy thoughts of her own, before she planted her knuckles to her hips blurting out loudly: "Hah, told ya Hiirys I was good at finding partners for peeps! We'll make sure you two get to your mamas no problems!"

Hiiro smiled back to Ketlin as he stood up, the Eevee happily bouncing about his feet, chirping happily. "I suppose so. Thanks… wait what?" Blinking, he asked in surprise: "You… you want to go with me?"

"That's what I said, and that's that!" The girl smiled, crossing her arms as a thick air of confidence seemed to radiate about her as she nodded "Who knows, maybe that masked challenger will be at the Gyms we visits on the trip too…"

Shaking his head at his daughters remarks, the silverhead veteran adventure shrugged out to Hiiro: "Don' argue pup. When my kit gets her mind set on a task like this, all tha legendaries in tha universe couldn' stop her. Sides would be better tha way since we're not locals but we have previous experiences."

"But I wasn't going to…" Hiiro started, before he cut himself off and sighed. "Well… okay. If you're sure."

Crystal merely giggled, while Sill watched it in silence.

* * *

"One last thing before you head out; keep an eye out for Team Aether," Crystal warned as the small group headed out.

"Team Aether?" Hiiro repeated, Eevee hopping about his feet, still. "I've never heard of them before… are they new?"

"Started a few weeks ago," Sill said simply. "Apparently, they claim this land to be a holy place for Arceus and say that since it's their ground, we humans should obey the words of Arceus and release Pokémon from their 'imprisonment'."

"…What kind of thought process is that?" Hiiro asked with a frown.

A small hiss was heard from the girl, as her father gave a growl himself rubbing his knuckles. "A familiar one…no problem, this makes teamen up ideal then. Sides gives me an Tom some ol fashioned Poké-enforcement work again too."

"Well they have technically not done anything wrong, _yet_, so unfortunately, there'd be no reason for that," Crystal said.

"We'll be careful, either way," Hiiro said, reaching down to pick up Eevee. "And you chill out or you won't have any energy left before we get started."

Eevee merely mewled happily, its tail wagging even though he was being held up like he was.

"Well, good luck," Crystal said as the small group finally headed out. "I suggest you head to Emerald Village first if you want to take the Gym Challenge!"

"Gotcha! We'll head that way then!" Hiiro called out, waving back as they walked.

Ketlin gave a great big grin, hollowing out over to the professors as they went off "Thanks again! Emeralds here we come!"

"Heh, jus like tha lill Eve here kit, try an save cha energy," her father chuckled out, looking ahead as they went. "Another footstep in this crazy world of ours to adventure on…heh, I'm feelen old."

And with that, the small group set out into the world together…

* * *

**TJ and Ketlin © TJ Shonen.**


	3. Chapter 2 Route to Emerald Village

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 2: Route to Emerald Village  
**

* * *

The route from Topaz Town to Emerald Village was generally a quiet path. During spring time, however, the place was very nearly crawling with numerous types of Pokémon, including bird classed Pokémon that were working feverishly to build nests. They weren't the only ones, though; many rodents were also running about, chattering about and seeming to not mind so much as the trio of Trainers made their way through.

"Wow… there's so many of them…" Hiiro murmured, as Eevee hurried along beside him.

Giggling beside him, Ketlin the young Pokémon adventuress crossed her arms behind her head smiling. "Yeahs, early mornings they really get antsys like a bug pokey. There's lots more all over the worlds."

"Cool…" Hiiro murmured, before turning to Ketlin: "So… you've been on trip for long?"

"Oh, wells I'm still kind of new almost," the girl chuckled out a bit in embarrassment, as her father, TJ added in after patting her head.

"Been on my Jac-mak'en trainen since I was cha kids' ages…huh guess I've been on my adventure for over a decade now."

Hiiro nodded briefly, before Eevee suddenly bumped into his leg, mewling. Smiling, he reached down briefly and petted him. "Easy already, Eevee. The world's not going to disappear in the next moment, okay?" As Hiiro straightened up, though, a Pokémon hopped out from the grass, making its way to the other side of the path. "Hm?"

Reaching into his pocket, Hiiro pulled out his PokéDex and aimed it at the Pokémon.

"**_Natu. A Littlebird Pokémon. It usually forages for food on the ground but may, on rare occasions, hop onto branches to peck at shoots. Because its wings aren't yet fully grown, it has to hop to get around. It is always staring at something._**"

"Natu? Isn't that a Psychic Pokémon?" Hiiro questioned.

"That is it kid, that's why they stare like tha, thought ta be them peepen to things in tha future or somethen," TJ nodded out, giving a glance over to the Natu as it gave another hop around. "Wasn' expecten ta see a type like it around here though…"

Hiiro cocked his head, watching it hopping across the road… up until it suddenly stopped and turned around (using a hop). It gave a small squawk and tilted its head (or seemed to, at least). Eevee blinked and looked at the Pokémon for a moment longer, before he crouched down, tail wagging a little bit in excitement. As soon as Natu noticed, it let out a surprised squawk, only moments before Eevee charged forward.

"Ah! Eevee, get back here!" Hiiro cried out.

Ketlin gave a giggle as she watched the young Eevee give charge, before patting Hiiro's shoulder as she rushed along after the normal type. "Can't blame him, instincts!"

"Urgh… Yeah, but still!" Hiiro mumble, hurrying after the Pokémon.

The Natu tried to hop out of the way, but couldn't move fast enough to avoid Eevee's Tackle, sending the small bird rolling with a undignified squawk. Eevee mewled and rushed forward again. However, just before he could hit, Natu hopped back to its feet and snapped itself forward. Eevee yowled as its Peck hit home and sent him backwards.

"Oiy oiy." The older trainer chuckled, shaking his head as he crossed his arms looking to the normal type. "Eevee, if cha hungry I got some grub that doesn't bite back. An I'm sure tha lill guy doesn' like cha style of playing if tha's tha case either."

Eevee did not seem to care much, though, and merely hopped up and rushed back at Natu before Hiiro could snag him up. "Agh! Eevee!" said Trainer cried out right before Eevee once again Tackled Natu. "Enough already!"

Giving a giggle, the young adventuress gave the top of Hiiro's head a few pokes. "Give him instructions Hiiry, he wants to fight."

"Huh? But… I never…" Hiiro started, just before Eevee let out a cry as he was Pecked again, rolling a little backwards. "Oh for… Hm?" Blinking, Hiiro looked at Natu for a moment longer. "Staring… that's it! Eevee! Sand Attack!"

At those words, Eevee's ears perked up as he hopped up. As Natu hopped over angrily, Eevee spun around and started kicking at the ground, sending a flurry of sand flying at the wild Pokémon. Natu let out a cry of surprise and tried using its tiny wings to get the sand out of its eyes.

"Good! Now Tackle it again!"

Eevee let out a cry and rushed forward, smashing into Natu again and sending it flying to land on its back. It hopped up quickly enough and attempted to Peck at Eevee, but the Normal type almost easily jumped aside.

"Alright, atta boys!"

Chuckling at his daughter's response, TJ gave a nod himself over to Hiiro. "That's usen cha head, instinct with a lill brainpower can make things work. Keep at it, kid."

"Thanks," Hiiro replied, a bit absently. "One more time!"

Eevee nodded and smashed into Natu again. This time, Natu didn't get back up immediately. Spotting his chance, Hiiro reached into his bag and pulled out a Pokéball. "Okay… here we… GO!" he shouted, throwing the Pokéball with as much force as he could muster.

It hit the Natu, burst open and sucked in the Pokémon as a burst of white light, before it hit the ground. The ball wiggled around several times, as the Pokémon tried desperately to break free.

"You better stay in that ball Nooty! Youll have lots of fun with us on the adventures with us!" Ketlin called over, watching as the Pokéball wiggled about as Natu struggled within.

Shaking his head, the silverhead watched as the red glow from the Pokéball's button remained lit up. "A flying psychic type would be a pretty interesten mix this early in…"

As soon as TJ finished those words, the Pokéball stilled and the button on the front lost its red glow. "NOW POSE!" the young adventuress shouted right next to Hiiro, giving his shoulder a pat in congratulations as she winked. "Victory catch pose!"

"Uh… whuh?" Hiiro questioned in confusion, even as Eevee hurried over to the ball and rolled it towards him. "Why do I have to…?"

Holding up her hand quickly, Ketlin shook her finger as she grinned. "You need a cool looking pose for doing a good job and to welcome your new friend to your group that's why!"

Chuckling at his daughter, the silverhead gave a shrug as he sighed out "It's an ol' tradition we picked up ages ago."

"That… makes no sense, actually…" Hiiro mumbled, looking down as the ball bumped into his foot. Eevee gave a happy yip as Hiiro crouched and scratched him behind his ears before standing up with the Pokéball. "What's the point?"

"It looks cool and you always need to look cool on great big adventures with your friends!" the girl grinned out, as if the matter was that simple and a fact of life itself.

Hiiro merely stared at Ketlin for a few moments before he said: "I still fail to see the point."

But before Ketlin could say anything else, there was the sound of a powerful screech, followed by the buzz of wings and a loud, resounding cry that sounded like: "SCYTHEEER!"

Whipping around, the small group was just in time to see a large, green mantis-like Pokémon colliding with a large bird; a Scyther versus a Pidgeot.

"Whoa! Where did…?"

"Whao lookit them go!" Ketlin called out, covering her eyes to get a better view of the two battling Pokémon

Her father however, narrowed his eyes glancing up to the two grumbling "Not good for Scyther though, their roughly even, but he's losing his foothold against Pidgeot cause of tha type disadvantage…"

No sooner had TJ said that or the Pidgeot evaded another swing from the Scyther and smashed into it from the side. The Scyther let out a cry as it hit the ground with a heavy thud. For a long time, the Pidgeot hovered in place, as though expecting the Scyther to get up again, but the Bug type didn't budge and merely groaned in pain.

Looking wide-eyed, Ketlin's feet began to skid into the earth about to full dash over to the Bug type. "Ah!"

But before Ketlin could get far, a blue and white Pokéball with a black web design on it zipped through the air and struck the Scyther, pulling it in just as suddenly. The Pokéball hit the ground and began shaking furiously, the button on the front radiating an angry red hue. However, after about a minute, the ball fell silent and the glow faded away.

Blinking as he kept his daughter from getting much further, TJ gave a look around as he hummed a bit in thought. "Thought so, that Pidgeot's moves were a little to refined for a wild type…"

Just then, the Pokéball was warped away and the Pidgeot settled on the ground casually, as a single youth walked over, lightly patting the Pidgeot on its back. "Good job, Pidgeot," the young man said, before turning to face the group, as if just noticing them.

He was about Hiiro's age, his hair a dark purple, falling smoothly down his back, but the hair atop his head spiked back slightly. His eyes were a dark garnet color and he was dressed in dark purple and black clothes, wide black pants with a long purple jacket, to be precise. The only exception to the dress code was the pair of white gloves he wore.

Giving a sigh, the young adventuress relaxed a bit, rubbing the back of her head as she chuckled "Whew, so he was being brought along for the adventure, was worried he was about to be flier food."

When he heard those words, the youth actually smirked icily. "And what if he wasn't?" he asked. "What would _you_ have done? It'd have been a waste of breath."

"Grr, I know nature and all but still don't have to act like a…"

"Ketlin, easy… he's right," Hiiro said suddenly. "That's how life is. You can't prevent that from happening. The strong prey on the weak, and you can't stop that." Turning back the other Trainer, Hiiro called out: "I'm Hiiro, and these are Ketlin and TJ. Sorry if we were in the way."

The other youth merely stared him down for a moment, before he smirked again. "Heh. If you are sorry, you'd do well to stay out of the way a little better. I don't need a bunch of rookies to mess me up."

Growling, it took her father's hand on the girls head to keep her from snapping at the boys remarks as the elder said "I'd be careful on who cha assume's a rookie there…"

"Noted," Hiiro replied with a nod, not seeming too bothered in the least. "So… what's your name?"

The youth seemed to consider it, before he said simply: "It's Prometheus."

Blinking at the name, Ketlin's eyebrows quirked up before she muttered "Promidus, kinda a weird name ain't it…"

"Ketlin!" Hiiro hissed out quietly. Prometheus didn't seem to care about the comment, however.

"Well, whatever. I don't have time to play with your _rookies_ right now. I have bigger fish to fry." With that said, he silently climbed on the Pidgeot's back, who spread its wings without a word, before taking to the air and flying off in an instant.

"…Well… that was interesting…" Hiiro mumbled, even as Eevee gave a small whine of confusion.

"…He was still a creep" Ketlin muttered out, crossing her arms as she looked away to the side

Sighing, the girl's father looked up to where the boy had flown off with a frown "kid has skill behind his talent…but lacken that special thing though…"

Hiiro didn't respond to that, before he turned back to the others. "Well, shall we get going?" he asked.

"First!" Ketlin said, holding up her finger as she shook her head to Hiiro. "Give us that pose Hiiry!"

At that, Hiiro groaned. "Do I really have to?"

"YOU HAVE TO! TRADITIONS!"

"Okay, okay! Fine!" Hiiro sighed. "… How?"

"Traditionally, cha jus do some pose with tha captured Pokémon's new Pokéball," TJ shrugged out, as in after thought he added "With a 'I captured a' added in."

"…You know that doesn't help me one bit…" Hiiro mumbled, pulling down his cap over his eyes.

"Just pose with it an call outs! Everyone's different!" the girl added.

Hiiro grumbled something under his breath, glancing down to Eevee, who merely shrugged his tiny shoulders for a moment, as clueless as he was. The youth was about to just give up, despite knowing that Ketlin would just get on his head about it again, when he glanced up and found himself staring at the bottom of his cap.

'…I wonder…'

Bringing up the hand in which he held Natu's Pokéball, he pulled the edge of his cap down over his eyes while giving a small V-sign and saying: "I caught Natu."

Moving the edge of his cap, he glanced over to Ketlin and asked dryly: "Happy now?"

The young adventuress looked to Hiiro without an expression for a few moments, before she held up her fist giving a quick thumbs up and grin "That looked totally awesome! You looked so badacle, Hiiries!"

Eevee yipped curiously for a moment, before Hiiro put his Pokéball away and readjusted his cap. "Right… so can we go now?"

"Heh." Giving a small shake of his head as he pat his daughters head, TJ nodded before giving his head a little nod. "Yeah tha'll keep her settle for now, let's keep goen."

* * *

Continuing along the road was relatively peaceful, and most of the Pokémon kept to themselves, too busy building their nests to really pay much attention to the three Trainers. And before long, they were able to spot the beginning of a small village on the horizon.

"Ah! That's it," Hiiro called out. "That's Emerald Village."

Even from a distance it was easy to see that it was not the biggest village ever built, and as they neared it, that was confirmed all the more. The houses were relatively simple, there were no real hotels or inns, though some people had signs hanging outside their lawn that said they were offering to shelter Trainers for the night. The biggest buildings in the village had to be the Pokémon Center and the Pokémon Gym that was located at the edge of the forest.

"Woooow! Now that's a village!" Ketlin cried out in excitement

Her father also gave an approving whistle as he nodded. "Sure is, got a big city size, but a home town feel ta it. I like."

Hiiro chuckled a little, and Eevee yipped happily, though he was plucked up from the ground before he could run off. "Well, let's go. I think we should take a quick rest at the ce-OOF!"

Since Hiiro had been looking back at Ketlin and TJ as he walked, he forgot to pay attention to where he was going and promptly bumped into someone. Thankfully, since neither of the two were running, they didn't fall over, though the person Hiiro had bumped into did look over curiously.

"Whoa… You might want to slow down a little, kid," the man said when Hiiro looked up at him. "Place isn't going to walk away, you know?"

"Ah, sorry, I was just…" Hiiro started, only to cut off his sentence with a surprise blink.

The man had to be at least over thirty, early forties maybe, with long violet colored hair with multiple white streaks running through it. His eyes were a deep golden color, and his clothes consisted mostly of the colors black, dark gray and dark purple, and he had 6 Pokéballs secured in a special arm guard that Hiiro recognized from an ad on TV (and he remembered them being very expensive).

"Just… what?" the man asked with a small smile as he cocked his head a little, obviously amused by Hiiro's sudden pause.

"Aw Hiiries tends to be like that," Ketlin giggled out, blinking a little to the stranger's guard for a moment before she muttered flatly "Funky looking Pokéball holder you got theres…"

Sighing a bit, TJ gave his daughter's head a slight smack with his fingertips as he muttered: "Sorry, we jus got a lill distracted when we saw tha city. Guess getten excited ta new regions never gets old for some ages huh?"

"It happens to the best," the man chuckled out.

"…Um, excuse me but… are you… um… do you know a Trainer called 'Prometheus'?" Hiiro blurted out suddenly.

The man actually blinked in surprise for a few moments, before he allowed a smirk. "I see you already met the kid, then, huh?"

"Yeah he was kinda a jerk, ouch!"

Giving another growl to his daughter, TJ nodded out pointing with his thumb back along the path they were on. "Jus a bit ago that way."

"Aha." The man nodded in response to that, before he spoke again. "Well, I suppose I better introduce myself then, huh? I am Choras. And, as you may have already guessed, kid, Prometheus is my son."

Hiiro nodded to that. "I thought as much. I'm Hiiro. Pleased to meet you."

Cutting off another of the girl's comments, the girl's father gave a nod holding his daughters head down a bit with a hand to her head "Names TJ, this is my daughter Ketlin."

"Pleasure," Choras said casually, before looking to Eevee curiously. "Oh? Is he your starter?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, he is," Hiiro said with a nod even as Eevee looked up at the man, ears twitching in obvious curiosity.

Choras allowed a small chuckle as he reached out and scratched Eevee behind the ears, making the Pokémon mewl happily and cock his head to the touch. "Well, you're doing a good job thus far with him." Nodding to the boy, he added: "Keep up the good work."

"Ah… thank you," Hiiro said with a nod.

Smiling for a moment, the man eventually turned serious. "On that note… do you intend to take the Gym Challenge?"

"Huh? Um… I might…"

"I probably will to, if the masked trainer doesn't beat me to it first agian" Ketlin grinned out, rubbing her head in thought "Wonder how she always gets ahead of me…"

"Well, if you're going, you might want to go back out of the village and catch some more Pokemon," Choras said, tilting his head to the path they had come from. "There's a Pokémon minimum at every Gym of four Pokémon. If you have any less, you can't take the challenge."

"Seriously?" Hiiro asked in surprise.

"Wah?" Ketlin cried out in both shock and irritation "WHAT KINDA RULES THAT?"

"There are a number of Gyms who deal in 'Double Battles', and I've heard that Nitira at Mt. Ruby as begun to deal in 'Triple Battles'. So it's to give Trainers a sporting chance." Seeming to think, Choras said: "Actually, Nitira changed the minimum to 6 Pokémon, if I remember correctly."

"Aw man…" The young girl growled out in annoyance

Her father, however, gave a small nod holding his chin in thought "So, special rules kinda like on tha Orange Islands huh, interesten…"

Choras merely chuckled. "Well, either way, good luck on your journey," he said, placing a hand on Hiiro's shoulder as he walked past. "Maybe we'll meet again somewhere along the road."

Hiiro blinked as the man waved over his shoulder and left without another word. "Huh… that was informative, at least."

"Aw man, well, I only missen one more for my team…" The girl muttered in thought, before she blinked as her father cleared his voice

"How'd cha figure out their relation, Hiiro?"

"Eh? Oh, I thought it was obvious… I mean, they both have the same hair color, they dress similar and… well, they have a lot of similar facial features," Hiiro said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Cha got tha eyes of a watcher" TJ chuckled out, his own daughter looking a bit in confusion at that

"Does that mean papas rusty as a watcher?" She muttered, earning a 'grk' from her father in insult.

"Um… How 'bout we head to the Pokémon Center and figure out which way to go next?"

* * *

Ten minutes later, the small group was sitting in the Pokémon Center, contemplating on what to do.

"…We could go back for a bit and see if there's any good Pokémon there," Hiiro offered after a moment.

"I guess" The girl sighed out, flipping over a bit against the seat she was using, looking up to Hiiro curiously "There any really interesting types in the forest?"

"Thinken normally with Pokémon environments kit, most likely Normal, Flying, Bug and Grass types would be in tha forest" Her father said simply as he fished about within his bag for something.

"Actually, I heard there might also be some Electric types lurking around in the forest. They're very rare, though," Hiiro said as he sipped from a glass of water, watching Eevee drinking some water from a small bowl. "…Oh!" Reaching for his belt, Hiiro removed Natu's Pokéball and tapped the button briefly, allowing the small bird to pop out with a squawk.

"Na?" the small bird chirped, looking up to Hiiro.

"You must be thirsty, huh? Here," Hiiro quipped, lightly moving the bowl so that Natu could see it too.

Eevee looked up curiously, before it yipped and moved to the other side to give Natu some space. The small bird blinked once, cocking its head a bit, before hopping forward and starting to sip at the water, too.

"Heh, good job Hiiro" TJ said with a smile, giving the boys head a ruffle "always try an give em some air an stuff, lill time ta bond would also help"

Smiling herself, Ketlin looked a bit to the ceiling, her eyes glassing over a bit as she did so.

Though he chuckled at getting his head ruffled, Hiiro fell silent when he noticed Ketlin's expression. "…You alright, Ketlin?"

Ketlin didn't respond, or at least, seem to notice Hiiro's question, before she shut her eyes with a chuckle and nod. "Okay you three can come out then!"

All at once, from the Pokéballs clipped at her sides, three flashes of light burst out, the first of which becoming a light black and purple misty body with several violet pearls about its neck, a Misdreavus, the second standing to her side a round thickly bodied orange and brown pig like creature standing on two feet, a Pignite, besides who came out a off sea blue ancient mechanical like Pokémon, Golett. All of which, gave a long yawn and stretch as they were released. "Heh, sorry kept you guys all cooped up."

Hiiro blinked several times at the Pignite and Golett, before he spoke up: "Those… aren't from the Gem Archipelago… are they?"

"Heh, nope" The silverhead chuckled, shaking his head as he continued to look through his bag. "They're from a region called Unova, we were there about a month or two ago. Their tha only two from tha old team she had she brought here."

"Oh… so you got lucky in the lottery, huh?" Hiiro asked, with a small smile. "That's the only way for people from other regions to come here, anyway." Turning to Ketlin, he asked: "Though if you had more Pokémon, why didn't you bring them with you?"

"Didn't know if there were more new ones here." The girl shrugged, before she looked thoughtful. "Sides, mighta been a little unfair too if I did…"

"Aha…" Hiiro fell silent for a moment, sitting back in thought. After a moment longer, he said: "So… what say we check out the forest edge first? We might pass by the Guardian Statue on the way."

"Sounds like a good idea ta me, cha two at least short a few mates anyway," TJ nodded out.

His daughter, however, blinked out a bit before she tilted her head, as her Pignite began to head over by Hiiro's Pokémon curiously. "What's a guardian statue?"

Smiling a bit, Hiiro said mysteriously: "Oh you'll see."

* * *

After leaving the Pokémon Center behind, the small group headed toward the other side of the village, passing several people on the way, though very few Trainers. There were a few of them, sure, but not as much as one would expect.

"Hmm… it should be around here somewhere…" Hiiro murmured, looking around as they walked.

"Mrrr I asked you a question Hiiries! What's a guardian statue?" The young adventuress growled out a bit in curiosity and irritation.

"You'll se-ah! There it is!" Hiiro said, jogging ahead of the two with Eevee right behind him, yipping excitedly.

Once Ketlin and TJ had caught up, they found themselves standing before a large statue of a mighty quadruped with some kind of halo surrounding its torso, seemingly fastened to the skin by several thin pikes. Situated around its 'feet' were five birds, one of them with smooth feathers and a long tail, one with spiked feathers that made it look like a pincushion, while the third looked to have wings and a crown made of flames. The two remaining birds were large, despite that one of them looked very little like an actual bird, its smooth features seemingly more fit for diving, and the final bird being a large and clearly proud bird of some kind.

"This is the Guardian Statue," Hiiro said proudly.

Blinking a bit at the statue, Ketlin gave her head a tilt, muttering out "The legendary birds…but um what's the big one…"

"I'd say tha's Arceus, kitten, tha "Alpha" Pokémon," her father said simply, giving a nod. "Makes sense for these guys ta be tha "guardian" figures round here."

Hiiro smiled. "There's a legend going around the Archipelago saying that Arceus created the first Pokémon here. The legendary birds were his messengers to ensure the safety of his kind, before the humans came and scattered them to different corners of the world. Some stories say he created two more sets of guardians for the Pokémon, but no one's really sure if that's true or not. Either way, because of that legend, the people of the Gem Archipelago created a small custom with these statues."

"Tha' custom being?" TJ asked curiously, his daughter looking as interested to the fact as well as she listened quietly.

Hiiro smiled and crouched down, plucking loose a single blade of thick grass. Folding it once, he put it to his lips and took a steady breath, and blew - creating a mysterious sounding tune that sounded much like the wind whistling through the air, yet different. After finishing, Hiiro brought up his hand with the blade of grass, then opened his hand… causing the small piece of grass to be blown out of his hand almost immediately, flying off and disappearing upward in an instant.

Blinking a little, Ketlin looked to Hiiro after watching the grass float away. "Huhs?"

"Interesten customs on this lill patch of lands tha's for certain…"

"This particular batch of grass is what we call 'Flute Grass'. They say that if you whistle a tune with them and let it fly off, it will find its way to Arceus and, should Arceus deem the song good, your journey will be filled with good luck."

"Ooh, sounds fun!" Ketlin grinned out, about to swipe a bit of grass up, only to stop after a bit in thought. "…but really don't need it, I make my own journey good by plowing right through!"

TJ, gave a chuckle at his girls response, before ruffling her head as he plucked a blade of the Flute Grass up. "And, she can' carry a tune at all…Hm lill better with strings myself."

Hiiro chuckled a bit, before looking down as Eevee batted at the Flute Grass, yipping brightly with his tail wagging. "Well, if you two are ready, shall we go?"

The silverhead, gave the last few bars along the blade of grass, before letting it float away as Hiiro had done before with a nod "Hai, let's go"

"One more member get time! Hehehe we're getting fired ups!" Ketlin cried out energetically as she punched her fists through the air.

"Right. Eevee, let's go!"

Eevee yipped and hurried after Hiiro as they went.

However, before long, they were forced to stop as a group of workers stood just outside of the forest, several powerful Machoke walking about, carrying heavy logs and batches of broken twigs and branches.

"Okay, that doesn't look good…" Hiiro mumbled.

"Hm?" Frowning a little, the elder of the group walked on up to one of the workers, giving his shoulders a tap as he nodded to the Machoke. "Sorry but, what's going on here?"

"Hm? Oh, you Trainers?" the man asked upon seeing them. "Sorry, but you're gonna have to wait with going this way for a bit. Last storm we had tore down a few trees, so we gotta clear the road before ya can pass."

"What! Aw come on!" Ketlin hissed out, crossing her arms as she looked ahead "We could so get through this one two threes!"

"Sorry kiddo; but we suspect some Pokémon got caught in this tumble, so we can't rush this," the worker said. "If you're looking for Pokémon for the Gym Challenge, you might wanna check the grass behind the Gym itself. Heard it's got some interesting Pokémon there."

"Ah. Thank you."

Frowning a little at that, TJ gave a small, sharp whistle causing his bag to rustle. In a flash of light, a Pokémon materialized from the Pokéball inside. A large, orange and black stripped canine that gave a stretch as it landed. "That case, I'll leave Tom here with cha guys. He's trained in Poké-police enforcement. He can help find any Pokémon under here pronto."

"Ah! Much appreciated. We definitely could use another helping hand."

Giggling at her father and his Arcanine, Ketlin poked at Hiiro's shoulder nodding. "Come on, Papa and Tom would probably get us distracted Hiirings! Let's go!"

"Hm? Oh, okay," Hiiro said with a nod, following after Ketlin with Eevee.

* * *

Reaching the Gym was easy, as was getting to the back. What awaited them was not what they had expected, though.

Behind the Gym lay a garden of some kind, numerous different kinds of trees standing scattered around, each one bearing different types of berries. The grass was tall and overgrown, high enough for a Pokémon to hide in.

"Wow…" Hiiro breathed out.

Ketlin, grinned out as she rubbed her knuckles a bit, getting her joints stretched out. "Heheh, now this is a pretty nice garden, can't wait to see what kind of new friend I can pick up from here…hm? Well, yeah that's true too" The girl said as her eyes became glassy again, looking to the side as if speaking to someone there.

"Who are you talking to?" Hiiro asked curiously.

Blinking her eyes back to normal, the girl turned back to Hiiro with a small smile. "My Pokémon of course."

"Uh…huh…?" Hiiro got out, staring at Ketlin in a combination of disbelief and confusion. Even Eevee gave a small whine.

Gigging a little as she scratched at her cheek, looking down a bit with embarrassment she muttered: "Um, I kinda can talk with Pokémon's with our souls…um papa says I'm a "shamic class empathic psychic"…or some big words like that."

"Um… right, if you say so…" Hiiro said softly, still not sure what she meant actually. But before he could ask any further, there was a rustle from the grass, making the duo look up. Hiiro instantly pulled out his Dex and flipped it open.

"**_Cacnea, a Cactus Pokémon. Cacnea lives in arid locations such as deserts. It releases a strong aroma from its flower to attract prey, the more arid and harsh the environment, the more pretty and fragrant the flower grows. It battles wildly with its thick and thorny spiked arms._**"

"Wait… a Cacnea… here?" Hiiro exclaimed in surprise.

"She's not good with directions, look she's a little lost," Ketlin said as a matter of fact, watching the roundish cacti Pokémon look about before it gave the two Trainers any notice. Cracking her neck a little, the adventuress grinned as one of her Pokéballs lit up, letting out the fiery pig Pokémon beside her. "But she's got spunk too, shell be a great new friend right Natsu?"

The orange an brown Pokémon gave a grin, stretching his shoulder out a bit, but as Hiiro and his Eevee watched, they began to notice that both Trainer and Pokémon were actually moving not only the same way, but in perfect synch.

"Eeeee?" Eevee blinked, cocking his head, watching the Pignite move in synch with Ketlin.

Both the trainer and her Pignite, from how she referred to him as 'Natsu', took a deep breath, before letting it out through their nostrils, the Pokémon releasing a small spark of flames, with an odd mist coming out of Ketlin's own nose as they opened their eyes with a feral grin at the Cacnea. "Let's rumble!"

Seeing the twos reaction, the Cacnea gave a growl before launching itself right for the pig-like Pokémon, swinging its arm out as its thorns began to glow a venomous purple color

"Uh-oh! Ketlin, look out!" Hiiro called out.

Natsu, and his Trainer, gave a grin ducking low under the attempted Poison Sting, bringing up its arm and hooking it to the Cacnea's, holding it steady as it brought its free arm back with a toothy grin.

Ketlin, still in a perfect mimic of her Pokémon, opened her palm, Natsu matching as she called out instantly as they both began their jab, with her Pokémon's palm smash repetitively to the Cacnea's head. "Arm Thrust!"

"CAAAC! NEEEAAA!" With a shout, and a hard swing, Cacnea gave a powerful tug at its arm again, managing to toss the fire fighting pig off its feet to the air freeing its arm again. Ducking its head, a seed popped out of the flower atop its head, launched right into Natsu's stomach and began to sprout and entwine vines about his body.

"Aah!" Ketlin growled out, tumbling a bit on her feet as Natsu landed, and more so as the vines about the Pignite's body began to glow sapping away its energy. "Gah Leech seed!"

The Pignite, gave another growl as Cacnea smashed into him again with a connecting poison sting arm swipe sending him skidding back. Ketlin and her Pokémon both fell to a knee as the Fire Fighting combination struggled as the seed drained away more energy "Niiiiite…"

"Try to blow out some flames!" Hiiro called out.

Grunting out, Ketlin gave a grin as she and her Pokémon got to their feet again "'Some flames'? Heh, how about a full soul volcano? Cause that doesn't even count how hot Natsu and me are about to get!"

Cacnea blinked at the two, more so as flames began to spread out along the Pignite's body from its feet, frowning the cactus Pokémon kicked off, rushing with both arms thorns glowing with venom again. "CACNEA!"

Giving a grin in unison with her Pokémon as both stomped their feet behind them, crouching low, Ketlin gave a knowing grin as she bowed her head "FLAME-CHARGE!"

The cactus Pokémon blinked in surprise after its arm swung for Pignite's head, but meet with only wisps of flames as it landed, turning only a split second to see the flaming form of Natsu smashing into it from behind into the dirt. "CAAAC…neeaa…"

"Ouch…That had to hurt…"

"Veeeee…"

"Right, Pokéball go!" Ketlin grinned out, giving a wide toss smashing the Pokéball to the downed Cacnea's forehead. Watching a bit as she shut her eyes as it wiggled the last few tentative moments, before the resounding 'ping' as the Pokéball clicked shut gave her a grin. "Heheh…Now" Holding her hand up, her fiery pig Pokémon gave the Pokéball with the last of its flames along its leg dying out, causing the wisps to transfer along the ball, disappearing as it smacked into her palm with a smirk. "I caught a Cacnea!…Hm I'll call you…Thorn!"

"…'Thorn'…?"

Giving the boy a look, Ketlin raised her eyebrows a bit with a look grumbling "What's wrong with Thorn…"

"Well… nothing, really… just…" Hiiro stopped what he was saying and shook his head. "Nothing. Never mind."

Grinning, Ketlin nodded out happily. "Good! Ouch!" Rubbing at her sides a bit, pulling her shirt up enough to see along the side of her stomach she grumbled as a bruise began to form "Man her leech seed really gripped onto us…"

Natsu, gave a snort, rubbing along its stomach, which too had the distinct mark from where one of the vines was wrapped tightly around it began to bruise up "Piig…"

Upon seeing the marks, both Hiiro and Eevee gawked in surprise. "Wait… you actually get hurt, too?"

"Yeah, papa says it's the brain responding to it," the girl shrugged out simply, as if it was normal "Some Pokémon psychics send commands to Pokémon, others predict things with them…me, I fight with thems as one. Only problem is my brain and body's get mixed up to much, so their bruises is mine too."

"O-oh…" Hiiro seemed to think that over, before he asked: "Then… is it a good idea for you to be doing that?"

"It's how me and my Pokémon fight, we give it our all an make the impossible possible!" the girl grinned out, punching up her fist into the air as her Pignite did the same, their eyes practically burning with real flames, well, at least the Pokémon's were. "I stand with them inside and out!"

"Um… right," Hiiro murmured, before shaking his head briefly and smiling. "Well, at least now you can take the Gym Challenge, right?

"Yup, after a quick visit to the center to get Thorn and Natsu back into top sha…WAAH I FORGOT!" Ketlin cried out holding her head, Natsu doing the same as he realized what she did. "IF IT IS DOUBLE BATTLE WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO!"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Hiiro asked worriedly, as Eevee walked over curiously.

"Uugh! If we do a double battle its gonna be really hard, Command resonance makes me share everything my Pokémon sees an feels. My head gets woozy if I try it with two at the same time from 'sensory overloads'."

"Ah… I see your point." Thinking for a moment longer, Hiiro said: "Well… we could ask to 'share' the Double Battle if Emerald's Leader decides to go for that."

"Share?" Ketlin blinked out, looking over to Hiiro for a moment raising her eyebrow, Natsu looking just as curious. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that the both of us take on the challenge at the same time, but you and I both send out one Pokémon at a time. We'd probably not be allowed to use half our Pokémon, though, but at least it would lessen the load for you, right?"

"Hm yeah, but then if we win we might have an issue of who gets the badgey...Hmm grr if I could just mutli link.." Sighed the young girl, rubbing her head in thought, her Pignite following in suit for a long moment. Finally though, the pair looked up quickly with broad grins. "Aw well, we'll figure something out on our own anyway, Hiiry!"

"Well, if you're sure…" Hiiro said with a small smile. "Well, you can go ahead of me if you want to take the challenge. I'll stay here for a little and see if I can find any interesting Pokémon."

"Sounds good" Ketlin nodded out, giving Hiiros shoulders a firm pat and grip "Just remember, give it everything you got full soul and body! That's the only way to make the impossible possible, got it?"

Hiiro laughed. "I'll do my best. You just go, arrite?"

Giving a grin as she recalled Natsu, the young girl began to rush off "Dont worry bout me, when I choose a path I barrel through to the end!"

* * *

**Prometheus is based off of the similarly named Reploid from Mega Man ZX.  
Choras is an original character, so the copyright goes to me on that one.  
**


	4. Chapter 3 Laria of Emerald

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 3: Laria of Emerald  
**

* * *

The Gym of Emerald Village was definitely the biggest building in the entire village. The outside was impressive as is, but the inside was much like a miniature forest. Despite that the trees were clearly not natural, they still simulated the feeling as though one was walking between the actual trees of a forest. Just inside the doorway stood two statues on either side a pair of Sceptile, each of them holding an LCD screen, with names scrolling across them steadily, possibly the Trainers that had beaten the Gym before Ketlin came along.

The young adventuress gave a small whistle, having a look about the opening as she began to step through. "An I thought Sky's was fancy. I definitely going to have to step my game up here…Hm wonder where I can henshin…"

As she moved on though, she bumped into a sign standing in the way. "Ouch, hey watch where your, oh it's a sign…?"

"_The wandering weed leads the way toward the flower field. Change the time of day and behold their position carefully._"

Blinking at that, Ketlin began to 'double take' the sign and its writing, several times in fact, muttering: "Huh…not a stinken riddle gym, man I stink at these…"

As she looked around, Ketlin finally spotted something that looked like a sundial, only this one had a pair of clock hands, too. "Two hands? Weird…" Ketlin blinked out, wiggling with the dial's pointers for a bit. "Wonder why you'd need two…" No sooner had she done so, the surrounding area suddenly darkened. But before she could say anything…

"…dish!" came a sudden shout, as a piece of weed popped out from the ground. And as Ketlin watched, it walked off with a chirpy: "Oddish oddish oddish!"

"Weeds and night…So that's what it means. Hey wait for me!" Ketlin called out, quickly following after the Oddish.

Just as she got a good distance, the lights went back on, and the Oddish disappeared back into the Gym's soil, only its leafs sticking out.

"Aw man, guess he only moves when its dark…Hmm still need to change too…hm dial dial…"

* * *

This continued for a little while, with Ketlin hunting down sundials before hurrying after the Oddish as it moved along its way happily, not seeming to care it had a stalker. After about ten minutes, though, the Oddish gave a happier chirp than usual and started running, reaching a flower field of some kind… one that was styled as a Pokémon battle field.

"Wow…pretty," Ketlin blinked out in awe, looking around curiously. "I wonder if I can…"

Just then, the lights went on and the Oddish once more disappeared. However, in its stead, several dozen flowers hopped up with loud, cheerful cries sounding like "Bellossom!"

The flower Pokémon started to 'dance', obviously delighted about Ketlin's arrival.

Blinking a bit with a giggle, nodding to the Bellossom, before a thought had Ketlin blink out "Wait wasn't there a law against capturing more than one of a kind…"

"That is because they have not been 'captured'," came a calm voice from ahead of Ketlin.

Upon looking over, Ketlin found herself looking up to a woman with long, dark gray hair and sharp green eyes, her features seeming almost wolfish. She was dressed in camo pants and a black, sleeveless shirt, a pair of wristbands secured around her wrists. Her Pokéballs were strapped along a belt secured diagonally across her torso.

"You've done well to make it here, little one," the woman said simply. "I am Laria, the Gym Leader of Emerald Village."

"Oh!" Ketlin blinked out, with a nod rubbing her head muttering something along the lines of 'darn it' under her breath before responding "Ke-ah…Ketlin Shoah…Shonen, t-traviling trainer…"

Laria did not seem to care much about the girl's stuttering. "Well then, I assume that you are here to take the challenge?"

"Oh, erm…yeah?"

"Very well then," Laria said simply, removing one of her Pokéballs. "Allow me to explain the rules utilized here," she said, holding out the ball as the Bellossom hurried aside so as not to get in the way. "We will fight with only three Pokémon. Once the first Pokémon is downed, both Pokémon are recalled and we send out our second Pokémon. This repeats for the third Pokémon, unless either of has won both the previous fights."

Ketlin gave a nod, muttering something to herself again as she pulled out her own Pokéball in response "Okay th…hey wait, why only three battle if the rules said I needed a team of four?"

"Who says you will need even three Pokémon?" Laria asked simply, and tossed the Pokéball forward. "Well now… let us begin."

As the Pokéball burst open, a lizard materialized, letting out a keening wail as it spread out its arms, the leafs coming from its limbs giving it the apparel as though it were winged; a Grovyle.

Blinking a little bit, Ketlin frowned with a sigh as she pulled out something red from her pocket, putting it to her face showing a large pair of deep red sunglasses, shaped something akin to a spiked winged W. "I wanted to henshin first. Darn it, well, Let's Dance Diva!" with a toss high to the air, her Pokéball shot open, releasing from within it, Ketlin's Misdreavus.

"Hm. Interesting choice," Laria murmured. "Grovyle, go."

Grovyle smirked and flexed its arms, which caused the leafs to slide together, almost like a blade, before leaping right for Diva.

The Ghost type, gave a little squeak of sorts trying to float off to the side to dodge, only for her 'necklace' to be snatched by the Grass type as it sent her to the ground. "MISS!"

"Gah!" Ketlin coughed out, rubbing at her throat with a growl "Be lucky you didn't have an actual throat Diva…"

"…Pursuit," Laria said simply.

In an instant, Grovyle rushed forward and smashed into Diva, the dark energy surrounding it making the hit actually land rather than pass through the Ghost type.

"OUCH!" Ketlin hissed out, jus managing the shout to be masked by Diva's own yelp from the attack before she snarled out "Time to roast em!"

At once, Diva gave a siren-like moan, before letting a long breath of deathly purple flames burst forward right for Grovyle's sides; a Will-o-wisp.

Upon noticing the flames, Grovyle frowned and brought up both arms, leafs fanning out. And with a mighty swing of both its arms, it created a gust of wind that blew the Will-o-wisp away.

Growling a little, Ketlin took a breath, letting it out in time as Diva did the same, creating more Will-o-wisp. But instead of letting it fly out to Grovyle, the pair began to spin, the trainer in a similar fashion to a dancer. The more the pair spun the more Will-o-wisp were formed, before all of Diva's form was lost in the ghostly blaze as it then became a spinning cyclone of spirit flames right for the Grass type.

"Whirlwind," was all that Laria said, which made Grovyle flap its makeshift wings fast enough to summon up a powerful whirlwind that spiraled right toward the incoming Ghost.

When the whirlwind collided though, the flames indeed did burst apart, but instead not a sign of the ghost type remained at the eye of the fire attacks storm.

"Payback" Ketlin grinned out, swinging her arm back as the Ghost type appeared again, right from under the floor by Grovyle's feet, its wisps of hair forming into a claw as it smashed into the Grass types stomach with a shadowy 'uppercut'.

"GROV!" the Grovyle yowled out in surprise, knocked back because of the blow, but snagging onto the ground to prevent itself from skidding too far away.

"Very clever…" Laria murmured. "Drain her."

Grovyle let out a snarl as its body shone a pale green, before wisps of green energy suddenly rushed from Diva to Grovyle, healing its own injuries while dealing damage to the Misdreavus.

"MISS!"

"Gaah!" Ketlin yelped out, stumbling to a knee as her Pokémon began to float lower to the ground in kind, grabbing at her chest as she began to pant. "Gah…hate, those moves…"

"Finish it."

Grovyle let out a roar and rushed towards Diva, using another Leaf Blade to snag onto Diva's necklace, using that to smash her into the ground violently.

"DREAA!…v…vuus…" Diva growled out, managing to float a bit up, before her ghostly body gave in and fell to a small heap to the floor, knocked out.

Her trainer, giving a growl as she shook her head to get the throbbing aftershock of her sense of the impact Grovyle gave her Pokémon, pulled out her Pokéball to recall the fallen Ghost type. "Na…nice moves girl, next time we'll shine…"

"Grovyle, return," Laria said without lifting her Pokéball. The Pokémon obeyed regardless of that, though, hurrying over to Laria's side to settle a little behind her, even as Laria pulled out her second Pokéball. "Get ready, for round 2 starts now," she said sharply and tossed the Pokémon forward.

Laria's second Pokémon looked more like a giant walking mushroom with powerful pincers and spindly legs than an actual creature, beady yellow eyes staring at Ketlin from under the rim of the mushroom. "P'rrras'ct!" the Parasect screeched, snapping its pincers.

Ketlin blinked at the Pokémon, grumbling a bit to herself as she steadied her head again. 'Great, Parasect's part Bug. Tou's not going to be able to handle this fight and if I used Natsu to soon…' Giving a sigh, the young trainer brought out her next Pokéball, tossing it up high in the air calling out "Let's stick it too 'em on your big first show girl!"

In a flash, the form of the prickly cacti Pokémon Cacnea materialized from the red light, blinking a bit in confusion as she looked about. "Cacnea…?"

"Interesting…" Laria murmured softly, before she called out: "Go."

Instantly. Parasect rushed forward and lashed out with one of its pincers in a powerful Slash attack.

"Let's rock an, gah roll Thorn!"

Thorn, for her part, managed to avoid the attack in time, but only because she began to stagger a bit oddly, eyes wiggling about as she tried to keep balance but ended up not doing so well. "Ca…caacneea?"

The Pokémon Trainer gave a low hiss muttering to herself as she began to grit her teeth "Dammit come on stop fighting our resonance…"

"Bullet Seed," Laria said simply.

In an instant, Parasect spat out several dozen seeds at Thorn.

Yelping a bit, Ketlin bit her lip hissing out "Poisa…poison sting!"

Thorn, however, gave a growl herself, smashing her prickly arm into the ground, kicking up a batch of sand along the air, diving into it in time to disappear into the dust cloud to seemingly avoid the Bullet Seed attack.

"P'rrraaasect!" the Bug/Grass type screeched, releasing a powerful pollen from under the mushroom on its back.

"Caac!" the cactus Pokémon hollered out from within the cloud, staggering out from it as its body began to spark. Hissing a bit only just managing to hold her body up along one arm, Thorn gave a venomous look to the Parasect hissing "Ca…cacneaa!"

"Dammit gah, sure that still…nrgh…still transfers," Ketlin hissed herself, struggling a bit with her own movements as she glared to the Gym Leader and her Pokémon. "Jeez…without Kamina my luck…really goes down the drain…"

"Solar Beam."

Parasect shoved its legs into the ground as energy began to gather at its 'mouth'.

"Damn! Thorn come on girl ya gah gotta move!"

In response, the young Trainer's Pokémon gave a defiant growl, struggling as it began to pose its other arm, trying to take aim for Parasect as its energy began to reach its peak. "Caacneaa…"

"P'rrrraaaaa… SECT!" the Parasect screeched as it released the pent up energy at Thorn.

Ketlin eyes went wide as the energy rocketed for her Pokémon, who still defiantly tried to pose its own attack against its trainer's orders. With a quick growl, the girl opened her mouth, but instead of releasing an order, clamped her teeth down on her hand instead. "NRR!"

"! CAC!" With a startled howl, Thorn brought her arm up in a shock of pain, ending up falling and diving under the solar beam at the last second while releasing a barrage of thorn like missiles into Parasect's claw like leg.

"P'RRA!" Parasect yowled when the thorns hit its leg so suddenly, making it back off in surprise and pain.

Laria frowned at that, before she called out: "Again."

And the Parasect did not disobey and once more gathered energy for another Solar Beam attack.

Thorn, shook her head, looking over a bit still in surprise to her trainer, before blinking some more as the Pokémon's eyes darted to the bite marks on her hand, then to the bruised that formed on its own limb "Cacnea…?"

"Get it now, I'm right here with you, and this isn't 100% yet…I need you to trust me, so please…"

The Cacnea remained silent, before shutting its eyes, only listening a bit as the Parasects charging hum grew louder "Cacnea…"

As soon as Thorn said that, Parasect let out another screech and released the beam of energy.

Ketlin took her own breath, before glaring out for Parasect with a burning force behind her gaze. "Right there!"

Thorn's eyes opened, matching her Trainer's as another barrage of pins shot from her arm, this time into the floor causing the plant type to roll away, before correcting and aiming the Pin Missiles path right for Parasect's legs an underbelly. "CACNEA!"

"P'RRRAAAAAA!" the Parasect screeched out.

Laria frowned, before she called out: "Finish it."

Parasect hissed angrily, and snapped its pincers as it rushed at Thorn.

'Wait for it girl we have it…' Ketlin focused, watching as the Parasect readied for the attack, grinning as it was in range. "Now!"

Snapping her own eyes open again, Thorn swung her prickly arm up, releasing another blast of Pin Missiles in an intense 'uppercut' smash right into Parasect's undersides once more, the cacti Pokémon's body trembling as she struggled with her paralyzed body. "CAAC-NEE-AAA!"

The Parasect screeched at the force of the blow, making Laria gasp in surprise as the Bug/Grass type was sent hurtling back to land on its back (as best as it could with the mushroom in the way), where it struggled to get up for a moment, before collapsing in exhaustion. "…how…?" was all the Gym Leader managed to get out.

Panting a bit in time with her Pokémon, who was looking back to Ketlin with a surprised, but strangely pleased look, the Trainer said simply "Parasects…have a weak spot along their tummies, cause the weight of their mushrooms make it scrape along the ground when they move long distance moves usually have…more power up close too"

"…" Laria did not say anything to that, and instead merely brought up Parasect's Pokéball. "…You did well. Now rest," she said, a beam of red pulling the downed Pokémon back inside. "…Very good. I guess there _is_ going to be a round 3."

"Told you not to underest me" Ketlin grinned out cheekily.

Laria merely pulled out her third Pokéball. "Better prepare yourself, though… I have no intention of going easy on you."

Grinning herself, the young adventuress pulled out her next Pokéball chuckling out "Wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

"Ugh…too old for heavy Pokémon rescue labor," TJ sighed out, rubbing his shoulder as he walked into the Pokémon Center looking around "Now, where those two get ta?" As he looked around, he soon noticed Hiiro sitting behind one of the PC's, typing rapidly with his eyes fixed on the screen, Eevee fast asleep in his lap and Natu perched on top his head. "Heh…cute…" Shaking it off, the older silverhead walked over to Hiiro, giving the boys shoulder a tap. "Hey, Hiiro where's my kitten at?"

"Ketlin went ahead to take the Gym Challenge," Hiiro said calmly, scrolling down a bit. As TJ looked at the screen though, he noticed it was about the Unova Region.

Blinking a little, the older Pokémon traveler gave the boy a look muttering "Unova? Why cha looken there up?"

"Oh, I was curious," Hiiro quipped. "I mean, the Gem Archipelago has a legend surrounding it, so I was a little curious if Unova had one, too. There's not much info about it, though… just that it's revolved around some kind of 'hero' leading people and Pokémon into a better world…"

"Heh, true stories can be a lill twisted at times but…" the older adventure chuckled, patting Hiiro's shoulder. "Tha story actually went about two heroes, brothers. They befriended a great powerful Dragon Pokémon, but tha two had a disagreement, tha dragon wanted to go with both soo…it split itself into two dragons. Tha two dragons fought for each brother, an it created a pretty huge amount of damage through Unova. Seeing tha damage, tha brothers made up to stop tha fight…well…for a while. They ended up fighten again an nearly blew tha last of Unova to bits in tha process…"

Hiiro stared in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Well unfortunately people tend…"

"YAAHAAA!" Ketlin shouted out, suddenly skidding along the floor to a stop through the centers doors, holding up something in between her finger tips "I did its!"

Hiiro blinked curiously. "Buh?"

Natu cocked his head, hopping around on Hiiro's head to look at Ketlin a little better.

Spotting her father and traveling companion, the young girl rushed over, flicking up the object in her fingertips like a coin before spinning as she skid, stopping just in time to catch it in her fingertips again to show the group her prize "I got my Badge!"

"Wow…" Hiiro murmured, staring at the tree-shaped badge as it glittered in the lighting, before he smiled. "Congratulations, Ketlin."

"Aw it was a…ouch…Snap" She chuckled out, rubbing her shoulder and hand a bit as she did so. "Um, Just got to get everyone all treated up…"

"Was it that bad?"

Chuckling a little, Ketlin rubbed her cheek muttering something a bit at first before clearing her throat "Well…Thorn an me had a little problem at first…"

Blinking a little at first, TJ gave a knowing 'aah' as he chuckled out "Had problems resonating with cha new Pokémon on tha spot again?"

"Eh…yeah prety much…"

Hiiro winced. "Ouch… I almost don't want to know how that went…"

"Aw, wasn't to bad I'm kinda…?" Blinking a bit, Ketlin looked to Hiiro's belt, notching an added two Pokéballs firmly attached to their clips before muttering "Mew? You got two more Pokémon Hiiry?"

"Huh?" Hiiro blinked and looked to his belt, with Natu hopping up to avoid falling off when Hiiro tilted his head downward. "Oh, yeah. I found a few good Pokémon after you left."

"Neat, who are they? Showmeshowmeshowme!"

Chuckling, giving his daughters head a little flick with his fingertips, TJ chuckled out "settle down kitten"

Hiiro laughed and pulled out the two Pokéballs. "Well, you heard her; come on out!" he called, causing both Pokéballs to burst open.

The first Pokémon was a brown Pokémon with long black ears and an even longer ring-tail, a black ring adorning its chest; a Sentret. And the other was a pitch-black Pokémon with two silver strips on its back and a silver cap of some kind on its head; a Houndour.

Sentret blinked curiously, before looking to Ketlin and TJ. "Seeentret?"

Houndour, on the other hand, looked at them disinterestedly, before yawning and turning three times and plopping down on the ground to nap.

"Hey, come on now," Hiiro chuckled out.

"Oh boy, he might be a problem child for cha Hiiro, know that all too well with Oni…" TJ chuckled out

Ketlin, for her part looked a bit with a chuckle, scratching at Sentret's chin with one hand and Houndour's ear with the other. "Aww they're so cute an neat looken Hiiry!"

Sentret chirped happily at the attention, but Houndour seemed disinterested in the attention.

Hiiro merely chuckled. "Had a feeling you'd say that…"

"Least he isn't trying to flamethrower your or something, I had a Pokémon she always tried to use shadow claw on me none stops"

"Ah, he's just tired. That's all…"

TJ gave a chuckle, rubbing his shoulder a bit as he shrugged. "Here's hopen cha right kiddo, cause he reminds me of this Charizard I knew once…now that Pokémon had a bad temperament…"

Hiiro merely smiled. "I'll be fine. Thanks anyway." Turning to Ketlin, he said: "Anyway, I'll take the challenge tomorrow. I doubt Laria'd want to lose twice a day."

Blinking again, Ketlin narrowed her eyes looking to Hiiro questionably before muttering "Howd you know her name?"

In response, Hiiro turned to the computer and switched tabs for a moment. "She's right here. Laria of Emerald; guardian of the Emerald Woods."

The site that Hiiro had open was a list of all the Gym Leaders of the Gem Archipelago, both old and new. Though there was no information about the actual Pokémon they used, their types would at least allow Trainers to go in slightly prepared for the Challenges.

Blinking in surprise, Ketlin began to give a growl looking to the boy in response "Thanks for sharings…"

"I didn't know this site existed until after you went for the challenge, Ket, sorry."

Shaking his head, Ketlin's father gave the girl a poke nodding "Didn cha have somethen ta do kitten?"

"Well…Eep! Right!" At that, Ketlin rushed off to the counter, pulling out her pokeballs quickly "Healing!"

Hiiro laughed a bit, before shaking his head lightly and turning back to the site. "Okay… so who else do we got?" he murmured, scrolling further down.

"Heh…hm? Hey Hiiro, stop there at tha crystal islands leader for a sec would cha?" TJ blinked out, looking to the screen as Hiiro scrolled

Unlike the previous Gyms, the Gym of Crystal Island had two names noted; Zienna and Nitira.

Hiiro blinked curiously. "Something wrong?"

"Heh…well, I happen to know one of those two…" the older adventurer chuckled, blinking up as his daughter returned with a grin "Ey kit"

Hiiro quirked an eyebrow, before looking over to Ketlin. "Hey, Ket."

"Hehe, hey hey Hiiry an Papa, you guys still lookens that site huh?"

"Yeah. and apparently your dad knows one of the Leaders."

"Huh!"

Shrugging it off, the silverhead chuckled simple "I am tha Jac-mack Kitten, I know a buncha top peeps one way or another"

Hiiro merely nodded. "Well, if you say so… Anyway, maybe we should go get something to eat."

Blinking, Ketlin gave a nod with a smile, rubbing her stomach as it began to give a little gurgle she blushed out "Eheh, yeah we really worked up an appetite with that fight."

Hiiro merely laughed. "I figured. C'mon, let's go."

* * *

The next morning found the small group back at the Gym, and while Ketlin didn't look up at the surrounding area, it did surprise Hiiro a little bit. "Oh wow… this place is amazing…"

"Yeah, felt the same way too" Ketlin giggled out in response, looking over the area again in remembrance

Her father, gave a whistle himself impressed, running a hand along the entrance and nearby plant life as he did so "Nicely grown, definitely some good plant types here for this level of fertilization"

After a moment of looking around, Hiiro blinked as he spotted the sign and walked over to read it. "Hm?"

"Oh!" Looking to where Hiiro's gaze was, Ketlin hurried over to his side nodding "Yeah that's the riddle for the tricks here, Hiiry."

"…Wandering weed… so that means Oddish…" Hiiro mumbled quietly. "Oddish only move around during the nighttime, so…" Looking around, Hiiro noticed the sundial and walked over. "Since it's spring right now, night falls at 8 in the evening…" he mumbled again, turning the hands so that they pointed at 8 o' clock.

In an instant, the lights dimmed to mimic nighttime, and another Oddish popped out from the ground with a chirped: "Dish!" before proceeding to walk down one of the paths.

"Gotcha," Hiiro quipped, hurrying after the Grass type

Ketlin blinked out in surprise, before her father's pat on her shoulder snapped her out of her daze, quickly following after the group. "He-hey wait for me!"

* * *

Before long they had chased the Oddish all the way to the battle area, where, as the lights flared out, the Oddish disappeared and the Bellossom reappeared with cheery cries.

Hiiro laughed a bit as he looked around. "Cute… Guess that's why she's the Guardian of the Emerald Woods."

"Looks like you've done your homework, child."

At that, Hiiro yelped in surprise and turned to face Laria on the other side of the field. "Oh… um. Hey."

"Uuugh…" Ketlin sighed out, stepping up right behind Hiiro as she took a breath, before putting her hands beside her mouth and gave as shout right to his ear "BE-MORE-ASSERTIVE!"

"Gah! Ow! Was that necessary!" Hiiro hissed, rubbing his ear painfully.

"You would do well to lower your voice. The Pokémon living here do not take well to loud noises," Laria said simply.

"Trust me I've tried getten my kitten to hear tha from me but tha fire type she got over in Unova left a big impact on her tude to this kinda stuff…" TJ replied apologetically to the gym leader, and to a number of the skittish Pokémon that were hiding about as well

"Well…" Ketlin frowned out with a pout, crossing her arms as she added "Hiiry needs to get more fire in his tummy"

"…We shall see." With that, Laria pulled out her first Pokéball. "I assume you are also aware of the rules?"

"Best two out of three, right? Yeah, I know," Hiiro said, pulling out his first Pokéball.

"Good. Then begin," Laria said as she threw the Pokéball onto the ground, once more sending out Grovyle.

"…A Grovyle…" Hiiro murmured, reaching up to hold the edge of his cap. "Had a feeling…"

Blinking herself, Ketlin looked over to Laria questioningly before finally voicing out "You always start with ems?"

However, Laria chose not to respond to that, even as Hiiro looked out from under his cap.

"…Alright…" Hiiro mumbled - before abruptly spinning his cap 180 degrees. "Let's play! Go!" he called out, tossing his own Pokéball forward, which burst open to reveal the tiny Natu.

"Ah! Hiirmph!" Ketlin began, only for her father's hand to cut her comment short. "Mey!"

"His fight kitten, he needs to stand on his own, win or lose."

Hiiro didn't even respond to the duo, keeping his attention on the battlefield. Which was a good thing, because just as TJ removed his hand, Laria said: "Begin."

Immediately, the leafs attached to Grovyle's arms bunched together to form two blades and it rushed towards Natu. Natu gave a squawk of surprise as Grovyle rushed at him, panic quite obvious on his face.

"Ah! Hiiry watch out for…"

"Natu, NOW!" Hiiro cried out, and Natu's expression of fear instantly disappeared as he hopped up and then kicked off hard enough on the ground to send himself bouncing upward and over Grovyle as it lashed out. And because Natu jumped at the very last second, Grovyle couldn't stop the attack and hit the ground with a yelp of surprise.

Laria blinked in surprise, before she smirked. "Oh… impressive," she murmured, before calling out: "Above!"

But just as Grovyle leapt to its feet and looked up… "Naaa-TU!" …he got Natu's beak right between the eyes as the much smaller Pokémon came down, knocking it backwards, skidding along the ground while Natu plopped back down on the ground easily.

Blinking in her own surprise, Ketlin looked over to Natu and Hiiro muttering in slight awe "Wow…"

"He sure got in tune with his own Pokémon pretty quickly now…" TJ mudded himself with a nod, watching as the Grovyle began to steady itself again.

Growling, Grovyle leapt back to its feet and glared at Natu. But the small Pokémon was merely watching the other with a small cheeky look in its eyes.

"Whirlwind."

Hiiro blinked in surprise at Laria's command, just as Grovyle flapped its 'wings' powerfully. "Ho boy… This is bad…" Natu gave a tiny squeak in surprise as the winds started getting stronger, futilely trying to stay on the ground, but his claws were gradually losing their grip on the ground. "Oh come on… hey wait a minute… Spread your wings, Natu!"

Natu blinked curiously, but did as he was told - and gave a surprised squawk as this sent him flying upwards harmlessly. "Nat?"

"Huh? Whao what's Hiiry up to?" Ketlin blinked out, watching as Natu flying about through Grovyle's Whirlwind.

Grovyle stared up in surprise at the small Pokémon, before snarling and dropping the Whirlwind, leaping up just as Natu started to descend again.

Watching as Groovyle closed the space between it and the small psychic bird, the silverhead adventure muttered out "This won't be pretty…"

"Confusion!" Hiiro cried out. And immediately, Natu's eyes glowed a piercing blue color, a purple aura appearing around Grovyle and stopping it mid-jump with a choked cry of pain. "Now Peck him again! Dive at him!"

Natu immediately folded his wings and dropped toward Grovyle, striking the Grass type hard to the chest, the drop increasing the power behind the move and sending both Pokémon smashing into the ground with a heavy thud. Once the dust settled, Natu hopped off and watched Grovyle for a moment.

Grovyle groaned as it tried to get up, before giving up and flopping back onto the ground.

Laria stared for a moment, before she said: "Very well, I admit; I'm impressed," and held up Grovyle's Pokéball. "You've done well. Rest for now," she said, recalling Grovyle.

"Yahoo! Way to go Hiiry! Sock it to them!"

TJ, for his part, gave an approving nod as he chuckled out "This kid definitely has talent, jus needs ta sharpen up his skill like this some more."

Natu chirped happily and hopped over to Hiiro, who bent down and let the small bird perch on his arm. "Good job, Natu," he said as he patted Natu on his head, making the bird chirp again.

Laria merely chuckled. "Well then. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," Hiiro said with a nod as Natu settled on the ground next to him. Reaching for his belt, he pulled out his second Pokéball. "Let's rock."

"Let's, shall we?" Laria said, tossing her second Pokéball forward.

The Pokémon that burst out was a massive one; its body was small and sturdy, its legs like miniature tree stumps, its neck as long as a palm tree. Two pairs of leafs moved up and down on its back and several pieces of yellow fruit hung from its chin; a Tropius.

"Ah!" the young adventuress cried out, pointing to the massive Tropius as she went on "That was the Pokémon she used in our deciding match!"

"Really now? Fine then," Hiiro murmured, before tossing his own Pokémon forward. "Let's do this!"

As the Pokémon burst open, Houndour materialized, already growling ferally at the much taller Pokémon, digging his claws into the ground. Tropius merely looked down on the small pup and snorted returning Houndour's snarl with a harsh glare.

"This is gonna be a harsh one…" TJ muttered out, before giving a blink, looking to his daughter who was giving a somewhat awe struck gaze at the two "oh slag…"

"Oh wow! The fight between two burning spirits eeh! This is the type of fight I love!"

For a moment longer, the two Pokémon stared at each other, before Laria said: "Go."

Immediately, Tropius put more force behind the beating of its leafs/wings, the gusts of wind nearly sending Houndour flying backwards if the pup hadn't dug his claws into the dirt. Snarling furiously, Houndour aimed his eyes at the Grass/Flying type.

Hiiro frowned a little in thought. 'Ember is useless in this case… it'll just get blown back at him… We have to get close up.' Taking a deep breath, Hiiro called out: "Try to rush 'im, Houndour! Go!"

Frowning, the older silverhead began to rub his chin in thought watching the fight. "But will he listen…"

However, just as TJ said that, Houndour crouched low, his muscles bunching together, before he pushed off and propelled himself forward, immediately digging his claws into the ground to prevent being blown away.

"Stomp," Laria said simply, and Tropius brought up one of its massive legs, obviously meant to smash it into Houndour.

"Use Ember, now!" Hiiro called out, and Houndour instantly exhaled a burst of fire at Tropius' foot. This caused the Tropius to howl in pain as it actually backpedalled to try and douse the flames steadily creeping up its leg.

"Alright ya got him Hiiry!" Ketlin cheered out, punching her fists to the air.

"Not yet!" Hiiro murmured. "Finish it, Houndour! Headbutt!"

Houndour rushed forward with a snarl and then kicked off, smashing his head straight against the Tropius' 'chest' area, the force sending Tropius backwards to smash onto its side with a groan of pain, where it collapsed from the burn on its leg.

Laria stared at her downed Pokémon for a moment, before she said: "…Very good job," though it wasn't sure to whom she said it as she recalled Tropius.

Houndour gave a small grin, before it reared back its head and howled out in victory, even as Hiiro laughed and adjusted his cap. "Woo! What a rush!" he quipped, briefly patting his chest.

As Hiiro began to pat his chest, his back soon found a huge impact as Ketlin's arms wrapped around him in a big hug "Way to go Hiiry! You did its!"

Shaking his head, TJ gave Hiiro's shoulder a pat nodding to the young trainer with a smile. "Congratulations kiddo"

"Oof! Heh. Thanks," Hiiro chuckled as Houndour ran back over to his side, barking for the Trainer's attention. The boy smiled and scratched Houndour behind his ear. "And thanks to you too, boy. You did real good."

"Bar!" Houndour barked out happily.

"Heh, good guess he wouldn't be a problem child after all then"

"Told you," Hiiro said with a small grin, before looking over as Laria walked over to him.

"You did real good, kid," Laria said with a warm smile, before reaching into her pocket. "You definitely earned this," she proclaimed, holding out her hand, which held the same tree-shaped badge that Ketlin had shown off the previous day.

Hiiro smiled and carefully took the badge from the Leader and nodded respectfully. "Thank you, ma'am."

As Hiiro took his prize, he soon found the young adventuresses' fingertip up against his nose, Ketlin's face showing her usual stubborn expression. "Victory-Pose!"

"…" Hiiro looked at her for a moment longer, before he sighed. "Arrite, arrite. Fine."

"Good boy."

After thinking for a brief moment, he held the badge between his thumb and middle finger, pulling down his cap a little with his other hand while giving a v-sign with the one holding the badge. And, as if realizing what was going on, Houndour released another howl as Natu chirped happily and hopped about by Hiiro's feet. "Happy?"

Laria chuckled a bit, shaking her head lightly.

Ketlin gave a frown, but sighed nodding "Yeah, just remember to say 'I got this badge' next time, Hiiry."

"Fine, fine. If I must…"

* * *

**Laria is copyrighted to Red "Sinder" Chaos Mage.  
**

**The story will be divided mostly in two different types of chapters; the trip to a city/village, and then the fight with the Gym Leader. There will be exceptions to the rule, such as caves/mountains or other important locations.  
**


	5. Chapter 4 Route to Amethyst Village

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 4: Route to Amethyst Village**

* * *

The path from Emerald to Amethyst Village was, in theory, very simple. However, given that the path ran through the Emerald Woods, it was a little more difficult than some people made it out to be. If it wasn't the amount of Pokémon in the forest that kept Trainers up, it was the other Trainers that could be found throughout the forest, searching either for certain Pokémon or other Trainers to have a battle with.

* * *

"If we just keep along the path, we'll be in Amethyst Village before nightfall. Given that we don't run into too many other Trainers or Pokémon," Hiiro said as he studied the map as they walked down the pathway.

Eevee yawned a little, stretching briefly before hurrying after Hiiro with a happy yip.

"If there's another set rule of Pokémon cha need runnen into a few wouldn' be a bad idea though, if not ta train a little," the silverhead responded, ducking under a low branch as a skittish Flying type hopped off from it.

Hopping along a bit excited, Ketlin began to poke at Hiiros shoulder quickly as she looked past his shoulder to the map "So who's the leader of Amathist?"

"Let's see… that would be… Axl of Amethyst. …eh? An Electric type Gym Leader in a fisher's village?"

"From a strategist standpoint Hiiro, it makes a lill sense" TJ shrugged out. "It makes it more difficult for tha Trainers to gather Pokémon strong against electric types so cha'd haveta find ways to deal with tha handicap"

"True, I suppose…" Hiiro said, folding up the map and putting it in his bag.

Eevee hurried along without seeming to interested in the conversation, much too excited with the surrounding area.

"Hmm…You ever gonna name them?" Ketlin cut in quickly, looking to Hiiro questioningly, before nodding towards his fluffy starter as it searched around "Your team"

"Huh…? Um… was thinking about it, but I'm not too good with names, really.

"Oh! I can help with that!"

Sighing at his daughters enthusiasm, the elder Pokémon adventurer chuckled out "Kit, I'm sure he and Eevee wouldn't wanna call tha lill kit 'Hiiry Jr'."

Hiiro allowed a small chuckle. "Thanks, Ket, but I think of something at some point, I'm sure."

Suddenly, Eevee started yipping loudly, glaring at something up ahead of them.

"Aww ner…eh?" Blinking towards Eevees yipping, the young adventuress looked ahead "What's…"

"Chu-chu-chu-chu!" echoed from the bushes up ahead as several swift yellow blurs whizzed by, before disappearing again.

Hiiro blinked in surprise. "Weren't those Pikachu?"

"Coulda been their pre'volutions too, but maybe…odd," TJ muttered, looking to where the electric mice scurried away, and where they had come from

Just then, a single Pokémon burst from the bushes where the Electric Pokémon had come from, and watched them go for a brief moment, before it noticed the three Trainers from the corner of its eyes and glanced over. It was a Pokémon with long, white fur and a dark blue skin on its face. It had a black gem of some sort on the center of its forehead, and had a black scythe-shaped horn coming from its right temple. Its tail was also spiked, and moved slightly as it breathed steadily.

"Is that…?" Hiiro whispered, pulling out his PokéDex.

"**_Absol. A Disaster Pokémon. Every time Absol appears before people, it is followed by a disaster such as an earthquake or a tidal wave. As a result, it came to be known as the disaster Pokémon. It is a long-lived Pokémon that has a life-span of 100 years._**"

"That's weird…" Hiiro mumbled. "Absol rarely ever leave the mountainsides they live on…"

"If there was a geo-anomaly in its environment it could have left for safer grounds" TJ muttered out, watching the Absol questioningly "or possible lack of food around its home, either way its probably better to leave it to its own devices…"

Ketlin however, was giving Absol her odd, deep gaze, capturing every twitch of its body in the glint of her eyes almost entranced by it

The Absol stared back at Ketlin for a long moment, one leg poised as though to make a break for it. However, after a moment longer, it stomped its foot back down and whipped its entire body around to face the group, releasing a powerful screech like cry as it dug its claws into the ground.

"Uh-oh…!"

Eevee tensed briefly, backing up a bit, before starting to yip at the Absol angrily.

In the middle of one of its yips, Ketlin's foot came down in front of Eevee, blocking him from the Absol as she grinned out toothfully. "Lookit you, beautiful, strong, and a burning spirit. Just looking at that fire in your soul is giving me the chills!"

"Ketlin…?" Hiiro asked worriedly.

Absol, however, actually grinned almost cheekily, its body lightly swaying as though preparing itself to bolt at any moment.

"Don't get in the way Hiiro, we're gonna dance right now!"

Blinking at his daughter, the silverhead muttered out "Kitten?"

Pointing at the wild Pokémon, Ketlin began to reach for her bag, pulling out her Pokéball and sunglasses putting them on as she grinned "I said I'm gonna capture Absol, so don't get in the way of our rumble!"

"Ket… be careful, Absol are-"

"Don't-finish-that-sentence…" Ketlin cut in quickly, tossing her Pokéball up high, in a flash of light, the form of her Pignite, Natsu stomped into the ground with his energetic cry as if begging to start the fight.

Absol merely adjusted its stance a little bit, narrowing its eyes at Natsu, briefly, before it Leered eerily at the Fire type, only moments before rushing forward and lashing out with its claws.

"It's fast…" TJ muttered, watching as Natsu avoided the attack if only barely, earning himself a few cuts along his arms for defense retaliating with a blast of ember for Absol's sides.

However, Absol almost easily dodged the fire, before it smashed into Natsu's side with a swift Quick Attack.

"Gah! Hee! This is definitely gonna be fun, lets really heat up Natsu!"

Grinning as he rolled quickly back to his feet, the Pignite smashed his feet to the ground, creating a spark that turned to a body covering blaze as he flame charged right back into Absol, then quickly releasing another barrage of ember as the dark type stumbled back from the collision.

Absol howled at the force of the attack, but rushed to get out of the way of the Ember attack, starting to run in zigzagging patterns around Natsu. And in the next instant, it lunged for the other Pokémon's back with both its claws primed.

Absol's attack hit dead on, sinking its claws into Natsu's back. But before the dark type could even think of pulling back, the fire fighter types arms managed to wrap up and around behind its mane, effectively locking down Absol's chin into the Pignite's shoulder. "PIG!"

"Ugh, yeah that's definitely gonna sting later," Ketlin grinned out, rubbing at her shoulders which began to twitch from sensory input "Now like we practiced, Magma-roll!"

Grinning, Natsu began to swing his body, and Absol's forward for the ground, before tucking down as the flames along his feet kicked up as he began to spin rapidly like a motorized ball engulfed in flames. "PIIIGGNIIITTEEE!"

Blinking at the combination, TJ only managed to hold back a chuckle for a few seconds. "Interesten tactic, lock an opponent close while flame charge keeps cha speed up, then switch into rollout"

"Wow… clever…" Hiiro whispered as the attack sent Absol crashing into a tree with a yelp, before he blinked as another echoed through the air. "Was that… oh no…"

Snapping his gaze up, Hiiro paled in alarm. "Oh frig…" he mumbled, noticing the dark clouds that were rolling in fast, rapidly beginning to block out the sun's light.

Eevee blinked, before the distant rumble reached his ears and he whined, leaping up into Hiiro's arms, shaking like the tail of an Ekans.

Absol groaned and shook its head as it stood, before the rumble of thunder made it snap its head up.

Looking up to the clouds, the elder adventurer gave a sigh, before shrugging out "Guess tha's wha cha sensed, huh Absol?"

Rather than respond to that, Absol spread its legs apart, took a deep breath as its claws dug into the claw, before rearing its head back and releasing a powerful howl - followed closely by the clap of thunder as a lightning bolt struck a tree barely 5 feet away from the battle site.

"Gah!/Veeeeeeeeee!"

"…Tha'…woulda hurt…"

Looking to the tree, as if disinterested by it, Ketlin sighed our shrugging her shoulders shaking her head, Natsu matching her moves perfectly as she said "Man was hoping for a little more clear weather time to finish this first too…"

"Pig nite piiig…"

Sighing at that, TJ looked over to Hiiro, quickly asking: "Any cave systems nearby we can duck at?"

"I don't know…" Hiiro mumbled out as more and more thunder claps followed the first. "I've never been-"

"Ab!" Absol cried out suddenly, cocking its head briefly and running away a short distance, before stopping and letting out another cry.

"…is it…?"

Ketlin and Natsu were the first to react following, in fact the pair didn't even wait for Absol to call back for them to give chase. "Hey not everybodies on four legs ya know!"

"Fallow tha kitten an pig I guess then," TJ sighed out, giving chase after his daughter an the pokemon

"Ah-wait!" Hiiro called out, hurrying to catch up as Absol lead the way to wherever it had been going.

However, as they continued onward, Hiiro started to pant heavily for breath, finding it to be harder and harder to move his legs the longer he ran.

'No… keep going… dammit keep going…' Hiiro thought to himself as he could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage. 'Don't stop… just don't… st…'

But before that thought could finish, Hiiro's eyes lost their focus and he tripped over a stray root, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

Eevee yelped as he rolled away a distance, before hopping up and staring at Hiiro in shock. He immediately ran back and bit down on Hiiro's sleeve, trying to pull the unconscious human along, but not faring too well.

"…Veeeeeee!" he eventually cried out after the other Trainers.

As Eevee cried out however, a set of black furred paws stepped out besides Hiiro's fallen form. The paws owners, was a large, vulpine like Pokémon, with nine flowing tails and mane of tinted snow white color, an oddity for the Ninetales breed. None the less, the larger and obviously much older looking Pokémon reached down easily, biting at Hiiro's collar and easily tossing the boy up along its body before reaching down to snag Eevee up quickly by the scruff of his own neck, chasing after the other Trainers and their wild Pokémon leader.

"Vee!" Eevee yelped out in surprise, blinking up at the other Pokemon curiously.

* * *

Absol ran out into an open area, where only a small house stood with several dozen lightning rods rooted into the ground surrounding it, and rammed into the door, which opened almost immediately. "Absol!"

"Hm…? Back aready?" asked a casual voice from the back of the room. "Tha was fa… eh?"

"Gaaah! Stupid thunder and lightning!" Ketlin howled out, skidding in with Natsu beside her as she began to catch her breath, her father not much long behind her

"Graaah, I always smell like wet Arcanine…" the silverhead growled out, shaking away some water off his shoulders before blinking up. "Eh…"

"Well I'll be damned… Tensuno J. Shonen, how ya been, mate?" quipped the voice from before, a bit of a cheeky/chipper tone to the (clearly female) voice.

The woman sitting there was a young woman with long brown hair secured in a ponytail at the back of her neck. and she was dressed entirely in black leather, the only exception to the dress code being the dark blue scarf around her neck. She also had a pair of shades resting on the bridge of her nose, obscuring her eyes from view. Last thing to note was that she had a cheeky smirk playing on her face.

"Ah, Chibi?"

"Yo," the woman quipped with a small wave as the Absol walked over to her side, looking up to her curiously.

Blinking in surprise, Ketlin pointed between the women and her father also curiously "You know hers papa?"

"Eh yeah yo…wha are cha doen this side of tha world Chibi?"

"Gettin hitched, fer one thing," the young woman laughed, holding up her left hand to show off the sparkling ring on her ring finger.

Blinking in shock, TJ smiled at the sight "Really? Hey congrads Chibiki, boy interesten place for a honeymoon though…"

"I'm here fer work, act'ally. Oh, an' if ya two're the only ones, close the door, will ya?" Chibiki said as she stood up. "I'll fix some hot coco."

"Two? AH! Hiiry!" Ketlin cried out looking around before looking to the door. "What happened?"

"Dammit of all…" TJ began as he went for the door, only for the appearance of the black Ninetales and its load stepped through the threshold "Ah!"

Chibiki blinked a little in surprise, before she chuckled. "An' good ta see ya too, there," she said, nodding to the Ninetales.

The Ninetales gave a nod, putting the small Eevee down to the floor as its tails uncoiled a bit from shielding Hiiro from the rain, carefully putting the boy down along the floor as it did so. "Nine…"

"Hm? Oh boy… tha dun look good…" Chibiki mumbled, walking over to the boy as Eevee started to nudge at Hiiro's cheek.

"Hiiry!" Ketlin said as she skid down beside the boy, her Pignite looking concerned as well as they looked him over. "Hey, Hiiry! Wake up!"

Her father, and the odd furred fire type however, were exchanging looks silently to the side, before the human sighed. "I see…"

As TJ said that, Chibiki reached forward and, quite easily, hefted Hiiro up from the floor. "Yanno, ya coulda also put 'im on the bed if he was gettin' too heavy," she said, standing up and walking over to a rather simple bed in the corner of the room, placing the boy down on it.

Eevee toddled over, then hopped up onto the bed and scurried over to settle on Hiiro's chest, looking at the boy in worry, his ears drooping a bit as he did.

Turning back to TJ, Chibiki asked as she reached up to remove her shades, revealing two dark brown eyes: "So wha happened?"

"We were crossing tha forest when this storm brew in, cha Absol distracted us from getten caught in tha destruction an lead us here."

"He's not mine."

Blinking, TJ gave a small chuckle and nod at that looking to the Dark type in question. "So he's jus like Riaku here then huh?"

"Guess so. He stays 'coz he wants to," Chibiki said, lightly petting the Absol, making it lean up against her appreciatively. "Well anyway, this storm's gonna last a while, so how 'bout I fix tha coco I was talkin' 'bout?

"Sounds good ta me"

Ketlin, however was a little distracted sitting on the foot of hte bed, lookign over to Hiiro, her Natsu sitting along the floor beside her own feet rubbing the claw marks along is back and arms "…"

Chibiki hummed a bit at that, but instead of asking questions, she headed into the small kitchenette to fix some hot coco. After a while, though…

"So ya won a lottery?"

"…Huh? Oh um yeah, papa and me were in Unova a few months ago when I heard about this regions…" Ketlin blinked out in surprise, finally getting her eyes off the unconscious boy at the bed

"Lucky you," Chibiki said casually, leaning back against the sink and looking out a window. "Ah… there he goes."

As the two Trainers looked outside, several bolts of lightning crashed down, but their trajectory suddenly changed at the last millisecond, striking something entirely different than what had been the intended target. It was almost as though something was drawing all the lightning away from the trees, which almost made the bolts seem to dance through the air.

"Wha's with this weather Chibi?" TJ blinked out, looking out the window as the lightning flashed about

"Ah, this place appears ta be full-a energy or somethin'. I really dunno, but I do know tha these storms can come outta nowhere and without warning." Pausing for a moment, Chibiki seemed to think, before she smirked. "Unless ya got an Absol watchin' yer back."

"Ab!"

Blinking, Ketlin nodded as she realized something, looking over to her father quickly. "Papa, can you use some herbs for Natsu please? I wanna…"

"Nuf said kitten" TJ nodded, reaching to his bag quietly as the Pignite went besides his feet

The young adventuress, pulling out a small Pokémon potion bottle from her bag, went up besides the Absol, sitting beside it. "Here, let me heal your wounds up."

Absol blinked, before it gave a small bark and settled quietly.

"Hehe, okay, this tends to stIING!"

Blinking at that, TJ chuckled a little from rubbing some herbs and leafs along the back of the Pignite, rubbing his head a little as he said "Er, sorry for not warnen Kit…"

Shaking her head, Ketlin began to spray the potion about the battle marks along Absol's body, being careful to apply it all evenly

The Dark type remained silent, its eyes shut quietly as the storm continued to rage outside. Whatever it was thinking, it did not seem intent on sharing.

"Oh, thanks, too," the girl said, rubbing a cloth along the last of the marks as she began to pet the Dark types head. "Really helped us out back there."

Absol merely looked over and gave one bark, before…

"…nrgh…"

Eevee's ears perked up immediately as Hiiro twisted his head briefly, before opening his eyes wearily. "…wh…whuh…?

"Veeee!" the small Pokémon cried out, immediately staring to lick Hiiro's cheek.

"Finally with us huh?" TJ smiled out, finishing the last of the herbal bandages along Natsus body as he walked over to the bed.

Patting at the Absol's head, Ketlin muttered to the Dark type about talking some more later, before hurrying over to the bed as well. "You gave me a heart attack Hiiry! What happened?"

"…huh…? Something happened…?" Hiiro asked, reaching out with one hand to pet Eevee. "…wait… where…?"

"We're at a friend's house Hiiro" TJ nodded simply, patting the kids head "Lucky for cha I got a fuzzy guardian angel on my shadow."

Just as he said that, Chibiki walked over with a few cups of coco. "Well, ya got good timin', kid; I jus' finished some coco," she said, handing one of the cups to Ketlin before helping Hiiro to sit up.

"Th… thanks…" Hiiro choked out, accepting the cup of coco and taking a slow sip.

TJ nodded his own thanks as did Ketlin as the group began to drink, before the silverhead said almost casually like "So, cha were born with a bad constitution or got a sickness some time ago?"

Hiiro blinked slowly. "…I got what…?" he questioned, the expression on his face showing he had no idea what TJ was talking about.

Eevee blinked in surprise, cocking his head slowly.

Ketlin blinked out herself looking to her father curiously as she tilted her head "Huh?"

"Hiiro, this is tha second time cha jus passed out flat into tha dirt, the first time is when we meet cha, tha run wasnt to far to be honest for cha heart ta race like it did to tha point"

"…uh… um… I… don't follow…"

"'Ey, take it easy on 'im, will ya?" Chibiki mumbled, sipping her drink.

TJ gave a nod, putting his cup down for the moment as he crossed his arms. "I would like to, Chibi, but if it wasn for Riaku, Hiiro would be stuck in tha storm right now more than likely. An tha first time we met him was like that, he didn have a Pokémon with him or anything…Hiiro, understand. I'm not tryen to be mean, Im being concerned for cha safty thas all…"

"…I… I know…" Hiiro mumbled, looking down into his cup. "…but… I really don't know…"

Ketlin had her eyes shut for a moment, before she took a breath putting her hand on the boy's foot. "Hiiry, please tell us. If something happens we might need to know to help you…what is it you keep trying to hide that makes you feel so bad inside?"

"I don't know! Alright? I'm serious; I really DON'T know!" Hiiro cried out. "I'm not 'hiding' anything! I honestly don't know!"

"Easy kiddo," Chibiki said, lightly pulling Hiiro's cap over his eyes. "Don't get yerself worked up like tha."

Frowning in thought, TJ gave another sigh, rubbing his chin before he looked to the boy "…Hiiro…do cha have gaps in cha memory?"

Adjusting his cap, Hiiro blinked a few times, before saying: "No… …I don't think so… at least…"

"Mew, this is confusing…" Ketlin sighed out rubbing her head

"…Well, either case, Ill jus have ta keep a better eye on cha…here" The silverhead said, holding out a Pokéball he quickly fished out of his bag "Keep this guy with cha for tha time being"

"Huh…?" Hiiro blinked a bit, looking at the Pokeball curiously. "Who…?"

Eevee blinked curiously and sniffed at the Pokeball a bit.

"It's Tomodachi, Tom. If cha heart feels stressed out like it did outside again, simply let him out an ride him. He's a lill past his prime, but Tom was a great racing Pokémon in his days an still has some spunk left in his legs for stuff like this."

"Oh…kay. Thank you."

"Jus mind cha, he's not for battle. It's to help cha if cha body starts to strain again," TJ added with a nod. "It's wha friends do anyway"

"I know, I know… I wouldn't dare use him for a fight. That would be cheating," Hiiro said with a small smile.

"For the opponent, Papa's Pokémon only listen to his orders good no one else" Ketlin shrugged out, before she blinked out "Oh, speaking of friends"

"Hm?"

Turning back down to the floor as she knelt down, Ketlin nodded over to Absol with a slight grin "I know it was mostly to keep us from being thunderzapped, but how about joining us Absol?"

"Heh, still stubern kitten to tha end" TJ chuckled out, shaking his head at his daughters question

Absol looked over to Ketlin for a moment, seeming to think about it, before it gave a single bark and a shake of its head.

"He's expectin' somethin'," Chibiki chuckled. "So he can't leave jus' yet."

"Hmmm…" the young adventuress sighed out, rubbing her head as she thought of something

"Cha sense more changes in tha environment huh? Hmm…"

Chibiki chuckled quietly, a mysterious smile on her face, before she quipped: "Oh, by the way, Teej, does Z know ya're here?"

Blinking, the silverhead looked over before shaking his head. "Naw, not yet anyway," he chuckled

The brunette allowed a chuckle, before looking outside as a bright burst of light illuminated the room. "Ah. Looks like he pulled out the magnet squad."

"The wha…?" Hiiro questioned in surprise.

"Whose 'he' any…wait a nano, my tails twitchen about this…"

"Look outside fer a bit."

In response, TJ went over to the window, giving a look around as he was instructed "Hm…"

Upon looking upward toward the source of light, one could barely make out the numerous shapes of about a dozen Pokémon, each of them round with magnet-shaped ends on both sides. All the lightning coming from the clouds was being drawn to the horde of Pokémon, as though they were absorbing every last bit of it.

"Eh? Gathering electricity from tha storms? Haven seen this technique for a while…" TJ blinked out, watching another charge of electricity be drawn to the Pokémon.

"Well, it's an easy, free, an' eco-friendly way of getting power fer cities," Chibiki said casually, finishing her drink. "'s Definitely better than some-a the alternatives."

"True…but whose given them the instructions?"

Chibiki merely smirked. "Oh ya'll see event'ally."

"Hmm…"

* * *

After almost an hour of raging, the storm finally subsided, allowing the small group to leave the house behind.

"Whoo! Fresh air!" Chibiki laughed, stretching her limbs out.

"Aaah," TJ smiled out, rubbing his hands together as he stepped out along with the other adult. "Nothen like tha smell of fresh rain dew."

Hiiro walked outside and stretched as well. "Whew… that one lasted a while."

"They always do," Chibiki said casually.

Ketlin followed in suit, pulling out a chair as she did so putting it besides the doorway. "Hehe, yup. You an papa have a good trip to the next city kay Hiiry?"

Hiiro blinked. "Ketlin?"

"Hm? What?"

"Aren't you coming?"

Smiling, as though the matter were obvious Ketlin gave her head a shake in response. "Nope, staying here"

"Eeh? Since when kit?"

Pointing her thumb to indicate Absol, the young adventuress said simply "Im not leaving without my fifth buddy, He says he needs to wait for something, so Ill wait with him till then"

Absol blinked a few times, before rolling his eyes and bumping into Ketlin from behind, forcing her out the door.

"Wah, hey!" Ketlin grumbled out, pulling the chair besides the doorway and taking a seat. "You're not getting rid of me that easily"

Chibiki watched it for a moment, before she laughed.

"Sides, I need to practice staying in synch with Thorn" Ketlin shrugged out simply, kicking back on the chair as she began to relax into it "Place like this be good pratice for us too"

TJ watched his daugher for a few moments, before letting a long sigh. "Stubborn kitten…"

"Ket," Chibiki chuckled out. "The thin' he's waitin' fer ain't here; it's waitin' fer 'im in Amethyst's Pokémon Center."

Hiiro frowned curiously in question, before he gasped in surprise. "Wait… do you mean…?"

"Hmhmm."

"Oh wow…" Smiling, Hiiro turned to Absol and quipped: "Congratulations."

Absol merely smirked proudly at that.

"Heeey would you guys not leave me out of things?" Ketlin grumbled out. "Seriously be easier to speak to me you know," she added with a side glance to the dark type

Getting it himself, the silverhead gave a slightly embarrassed chuckle. "Um, Ket, Absol has a mate who's expecten at tha center…"

"Expect…OH!" She blinked out, looking to Absol questioningly. "Then why are you waiting here for then?"

"He's not," Chibiki quipped. "I'd appreciate you putting the chair back inside and lockin' the door behind ya, Ket. Le's go, boy!" she called out, and immediately started running, with Absol running right after her.

Blinking, the young adventuress did as she was told, looking to where the pair had run off curiously "Seriously I really hate people who don't just say what they mean…"

"Don cha mean Pokémon too, kitten?"

"Same diff" Ketlin grumbled

"Well, she was hinting… Anyway, I guess we should get going, too, right?"

* * *

Upon arriving at Amethyst Village, it was easy to say that it was a simple fisherman's village. There were several piers built on the beach, and even some of the kids were sitting at the edge of one of the lakes with fishing rods, waiting quietly for a Pokémon to nibble on the lure. The houses were fairly simple in built, and each house had a lightning rod installed, of which many were currently being replaced due to the heavy storm from a while ago.

The only building that seemed out of place was the massive building attached to the side of the Pokémon Gym; a power plant.

"Wow, lotta fishens..I'm getten hungry," Ketlin blinked out, gazing about the city curiously, though also giving her stomach a little rub.

"Gotta admit it is pretty..hm?" the girl's father blinked out.

"Huh…? What's going on over there?" Hiiro said curiously, noting a crowd having formed some distance ahead. Chibiki was also there in the back, a small frown on her face as Absol was peeking through the legs of some of the bystanders.

Blinking, TJ walked over towards his old friend, giving her elbow a nudge with his own "Chibs whas goen on?"

"… 's Those Team Aether loons 'gain…" Chibiki grumbled.

Hearing that, Ketlin hopped up along her father's shoulders, trying to get a better view. "Team Aether..?"

* * *

The group that the bystanders were so intently staring consisted of numerous men and women, all wearing a white trenchcoat with black flames adorning its edges. The sleeves on them were different depending on the gender; men had long sleeves up to their wrists, while women had wider sleeves that were secured to the coat only by a small clip on the shoulders, leaving a good section of their upper arms bare. They had belts with a wing emblem secured around their waists, keeping the trenchcoats almost entirely closed despite that it seemed to flare out at the bottom with the females, almost like a dress. Their faces were partially covered by black masks, obscuring their eyes and nose from view. A pair of bangles was also secured around their right wrist, once again bearing the wing-shaped insignia.

And as they stood in two lines of 6 people per line, practically unmoving, they made quite the sight to see. Just then, though, the four people in the center stepped forward in unison and moved to stand in front of their allies, making room for a different figure to step forward.

He was definitely higher in rank than the 12 grunts that had lined up earlier; the neck of his coat had been turned up and was slightly bigger, nearly framing his face like a halo of some kind while also disguising just how long his black hair had to be, since it disappeared down his coat, and the mask on his face was different from the others. While those of the grunts were relatively simple in design, his had a pair of pitch black gems completely obscuring his eyes and a third eye engraved dead center in between them.

"He looks… kinda creepy…" Hiiro whispered quietly.

"Ssh…" Chibiki hissed softly.

"People of Amethyst Village, hear me!" The man was calling, "The natural order of the Gem Archipelago must be restored. We of Team Aether have seen the disruptions human presence has caused here, and it must be reversed! You know of the legendary birds and their ties to these islands, but you neglect to realize it is because of your residence here that they have fled to other skies, leaving these sacred grounds without their just influence!"

"…The heck's he mumblin' 'bout?" Chibiki grumbled under her breath.

"Team Aether will strive to right these wrongs!" the leader continued, "We intend to call forth the three legendary beasts Raikou, Entei and Suicune and cleanse the islands of the human corruption plaguing its soil! We implore you – take this opportunity to flee these islands! If you heed not our words, if you choose to remain, you shall face the wrath of the three beasts!" His voice lowering, he said ominously "You have been warned."

As soon as he finished, he clapped his hands together once, causing the 12 grunts to surround him in a rectangle, before they turned on their heel and solemnly marched away without another word.

For a while, the people of Amethyst looked at each other questionably, before starting to mumbling amongst themselves as they once more began to scatter to get back to work

Eventually, only Hiiro, TJ, Ketlin, Chibiki and one other person remained standing in place.

"…Buncha weirdoes…" Chibiki mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "The heck're they thinking?"

"They've been here before?" Hiiro asked curiously.

"Once before… tried ta force us ta stop the power plant."

"Stop tha plant? Wha for?" TJ blinked to to Chibiki, while struggling to set his daughter back along the ground, as he was literally holding her down and had a hand over her mouth to keep her outburst silent during the speech.

"Well 'coz… yanno wha? 's Better if ya head inside an' see fer yerself," Chibiki said as she waved the question off. "'s Long's ya stay outta everybody's way, you're free to walk about it."

Hiiro blinked in surprise. "We can just go in? Just like that?"

"Yep."

"Interesten" TJ blinked out with a shrug, yelping a bit as his daughter gave a sharp snap at his fingers forgetting to release her fully. "Gah cha fault for strugglen so much like tha kit"

"Mrrr! I wanted to give those creeps my spirit stamp!" The girl hissed out as she glared to where the 'weirdoes' went off

"Easy lil one," Chibiki said. "Technically, they done nothin' wrong yet. They jus' give speeches like tha, preach ta us 'bout stoppin' certain places, but other than tha… zip."

"So you have no grounds to have them arrested, right?"

"Unfortunately, nope. Wish I could have 'm arrested for their dumb uniforms, though…"

"Didn't say arrest said stamp."

"Kitten…"

Hissing again, Ketlin crossed her arms in a huff "I know I know…just something about them irritated me…sides them reminding me of those plasmies…let's just go to the place already," she huffed out

Eevee blinked a few times, giving a whine, before blinking and looking over to the side. "Veee?"

"Huh?" Hiiro looked over to Eevee for a moment, before looking in the direction where Eevee was looking.

Standing some distance away from them was a young girl, barely a year older than Hiiro, with silvery bluish-green hair that easily reached her waist and sharp brown eyes. She wore a simple red, short-sleeved jacket and some easy dark blue shorts ending just above her knees, with some white and green sneakers to finish off the attire. The look on her face was practically unreadable.

But what had gotten Eevee's attention was the Pokémon that stood by the girl's side; an Espeon with, instead of purplish silver fur, light green fur that seemed to shine in the sun's rays. The Espeon had a slightly haughty expression on its face, one that looked a little like her Trainer's.

Suddenly, the girl seemed to notice she was being watched and glanced over solemnly at the same time as her Espeon did.

Hiiro backed up half a step at being caught staring, only just stopping himself from gasping as his heart nearly bumped against his ribcage again. 'No no… stay in there!' he thought, trying not to reach up with his hand.

The girl merely stared him down for a longer, with Espeon doing the same with Eevee, before the duo turned at the same time and walked away without a word said.

"…Hiiro, ey cha with us?" TJ said after a bit of looking around with Chibiki pointing the way to the power plant, reaching back to give the boys shoulder a pat

"Erk! Er… Yeah, sorry… just… got distracted for a moment…

"Veee?"

Chibiki merely chuckled, obviously having noticed what had Hiiro so worked up

* * *

**The Team Aether admin is copyrighted to Red "Sinder" Chaos Mage.**

**Chibiki is copyrighted to me.**


	6. Chapter 5 Amethyst Power Plant

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 5: The Amethyst Power Plant**

* * *

The inside of the power plant was as intimidating as the outside made it appear. There had to be over a hundred different machines, dynamos and who knows what else stashed away in it. What was most easily distinguished, though, was the lack of human workers, since there were multiple different Electric types that were releasing electricity into the machines, some of them even hooked up to a number

of machines.

"W-wow… this is…" Hiiro got out.

"Impressive?" TJ muttered, looking to the young adventurer as his daughter looked about between the roaming electric types

Just then, a pair of Raichu hurried past the group toward one of the machines. Before the humans could start the wonder, the Pokémon stuck their tails into the slots there. The two focused for a brief moment, then let out powerful shouts as all their pent up energy was released into the machine.

"Hm? What are they all doing, Bikis?" Ketlin blinked out, looking up from a pair of Pichu as they skittied away as the Raichu released their respective energies to the machine

"Hm? Oh, they're releasin' all the electricity they gathered durin' the storm inta the generators," Chibiki explained. "They dun need THA much energy, an' normally they'd event'ally release it inta the ground or jus' in the open air somewhere."

"So you asked them to work here?" Hiiro asked in slight surprise.

"Ah, it's not really work in their eyes," Chibiki chuckled. "'s Jus' a way fer them ta get rid 'f the 'unnecessary baggage'."

"So that's why they seem so much better when they start to run out again huh? Bet all that energy must have hurt a bit getting stored in you two huh?" the young adventuress chuckled out as she knelt down, giving the two Raichu's chins a scratch as they spent the last of their stored charges

The Raichu looked at Ketlin a bit curiously, before looking to each other, before a sharp bark sounding like "Jolt!" echoed through the air. Almost immediately the pair pulled their tails loose and dashed off.

"…Was that a Jolteon?" Hiiro asked with a small frown.

"Heheh. Yep."

"Erm my peon translations a lill off but I don think it sounded too happy jus now…" the silverheaded muttered out, glancing about for the source of the bark.

"Mew? Hey no hiding pointy""

Just as Ketlin said that, though, a group of Magnemite floated by above their heads, attaching themselves to a metal rod attached to the machine the Raichu had just left. The group of Magnemite formed a chain by attaching the magnets on their sides together, up until they reached the metal rod of a different machine. The moment they were connected, the electricity in the generator rushed across the Steel/Electric types and into the other machine, which started to work furiously to keep up with the amount of power rushing into it.

"Transferring the energy somewhere else?"

"Yeah… ta prevent them from overheatin' too much. Still happens from time ta time, but tha's expected if they work this hard."

"Heh, definitely liken this balance with nature and machines in this place. An those guys from before were sayen we were messen things up here," TJ chuckled out shaking his head, looking around to the other Pokémon rushing about as his daughter was climbing up to pet at one of the Magnemite that were transferring the energy

"! Ketlin get down from there!" Chibiki cried out, but a little too late as a stray spark of electricity struck Ketlin's hand as she reached out.

In response, the young girl turned to look to Chibiki curiously, her hand completing the contact with the Magnemite and the energy. However, instead of a flash or any sign of stress, Ketlin continued to pat the Electric/Steel types idly as she looked to the older women while the ends of her hair began to stand up. "Eh? What it can't handle my weight?"

Hiiro blinked in surprise at that, but Chibiki sighed heavily. "I DO believe I said not ta get in anybody's way. Yer pettin' them is gonna distract 'em like this."

"Sorry just wanted to give em a 'good job' pat" The girl shrugged out, dropping back to the floor easily as she scratched her head, blinking as she noticed her hair standing out as it was. "Oh nerts…"

Chuckling at that, TJ blinked a bit noticing Hiiro's expression, patting the boy's shoulder he nodded "Cause of her psychic abilities, her brain an nervous system works differently from people. Lets energy go in an out a bit better an safer then it would for us."

Hiiro blinked in confusion, before nodding. "O… okay…"

"Well either way, movin' on!" Chibiki laughed, starting to move down the path.

TJ gave a nod, handing his daughter a comb to work her hair back down, and also wincing as she ended up 'zapping' him in the process as they followed. "Gah, erm so Chibiki, what's with those guys anyway?"

"Wha guys?" Chibiki asked as they walked past a machine where several Electabuzz were letting the energy they had collected fly into a large disc of some kind hanging above them, with a few Elekids sticking their arms into the sockets on the actual machine to discharge.

"Team Aretha…earew…Chibi cha know I have problems with names like those so stop baiten me…"

Chibiki chuckled a little as she walked. "Team Aether? Hmm… who really knows?" she quipped, shrugging her shoulders. "I really dun keep busy with those guys so much. I jus' know their boss is some kinda businessman or somethin…But like said, never looked inta it."

Frowning at that as he held his chin, the silverhead muttered out "Best ta have an eye on them…Oiy, Ket hurry up"

"I'm coming I'm coming, blame her she was giving me a staring contest!"

"…Ket tha Pikachu's asleep"

"…How'd she fall asleep with her eyes like that…"

TJ just rolled his eyes. "Eash…so Chibiki…where is tha gym leader at anyway here. Or, should I say by guess, cha hubby?"

At that, Hiiro looked at TJ in surprise, but Chibiki merely chuckled. "Ah, he shoul' be in the back somewhere."

Just as she said that…

"PLUSLE!/MINUN!" came an enthusiastic, chorused shout as two tiny Pokémon leaped down from above and into Chibiki's arms.

"Heheh. 'Ey there, ya two," Chibiki chuckled as the two Pokémon scurried up to her shoulders to nuzzle her cheeks.

"Waah! How cuuuute!" Ketlin squealed out, quickly rushing up to look up to the positive and negative charge Pokémon along Chibiki's shoulders.

Hiiro chuckled a bit at Ketlin's reaction, before studying the two Pokémon as well. The one on the left was colored yellow and red, with plus marks on its cheeks, and its tail was shaped like one, too, while the other was colored yellow and blue, with minu marks on its cheeks and a minus shaped tail; a Plusle and Minun pair.

"Are they yours?" Hiiro asked after a moment.

"Nope."

"…If you say they're wild again I'm calling you wild magnet Bikis…No not you guys," Ketlin muttered, giving a flat look to a Magnemite that was floating by to look at her from the magnet response.

"…They're mine," came a calm, solemn voice from behind Ketlin.

"GAH!" The girl cried out with a jump, literally bopping right into Hiiro in the process.

"Ow!"

"…congrads not many can sneak up on Ketlin," TJ muttered out.

The man standing there had fiery red hair that spiked at the back of his head and hung down his face in spiky locks, dressed in dark blue pants that were secured at the ankles by what looked like a large rubbed band. The same went for the jacket he wore, and he had a pair of rubber gloves on his hands, which he was in the process of removing while not moving his dark bluish-green eyes away from the group. The most notable feature about his face, though, had to be the two scars that ran over his face in an 'X' shape.

"Plusle, Minun, enough," he said simply, holding out one arm.

The two Pokémon whined a bit, before running along Chibiki's arm as she held it out, jumping over to land on the man's arm and running up to his shoulders instead, watching the new arrivals with bright smiles on their faces.

"Eh, sorry Hiirys" Ketlin muttered out, dusting off Hiiro's shoulders before blinking to the charge Pokémon's owner "Mew…you're the gym leader and Bikis' husbands?"

"…Yes," the man said simply. "I am Axl of Amethyst. Pleasure."

"Ah, pleased to meet you, sir," Hiiro said with a nod.

"Name's TJ, old friend of Chibiki's, this is my daughter Ketlin…"

Quickly tugging at Hiiro's arm, the young girl in question grinned out: "An this is my Hiiries, get ready cause were gonna whomps ya in the Gym!"

"…So you say," Axl said simply, before Chibiki came up to him and lightly punched his shoulder.

"Oy, ease up, will ya?" she chuckled. "So how's production goin'?"

"…It's almost done," Axl said with a nod.

"Hm? Production of what?"

Almost as soon as that was said, a Jolteon jumped over and landed beside Axl, giving a single bark.

"…Correction; it is done," Axl said, walking back the way he'd come with the Jolteon right behind him.

Chibiki chuckled and walked after them, gesturing for the others to follow.

Ketlin was the first, obviously from her curiosity, blinking back to her father and traveling companion a bit "Hmm…Oh hey quick thing, we need five Pokémon for your Gym, cause if we do, would it count if I say I technically have five?"

"…The minimum is four," Axl stated as he typed in a few things in a machine, which was where all the energy seemed to have been going to.

The Gym Leader paid no attention to the other Trainers as they gathered around, watching as he worked on the keyboard before him, typing in long strings of codes. And steadily, canteen sized containers of plastiglass and some sort of metallic material began to roll out of the machine, the plastiglass shining a pale yellowish-white.

"Wow! Energy capsules!" Hiiro exclaimed in awe, staring as the containers in questions rolled off the conveyor belt and toward the back, where a several red and white birds were stuffing them into the bag they carried with them; a flock of Delibird. Once the bags were so full that they could barely be carried, the Pokémon hurried toward the back, where they proceeded to neatly pack the containers in boxes that were already prepared.

Blinking as the Delibird were packing up their bags, Ketlin looked over curiously piping up. "What's an energy capsule?"

"Heh. They're the GA's source-a electricity," Chibiki chuckled out. "Electricity gets stored in the capsules, which're then sent ta the different cities an' villages on the islands. And empty cases're sent back ta be reused."

"Interesten," The silverhead blinked out, giving a closer look to the capsules along the conveyer belt. "How well can cities manage with them though?"

"…Normal households need only a single capsule to last them a full month. But most of the newer houses can hold 6 capsules at a time," Axl said simply.

"Really? Whaooo, too bad we can't really use those huh papa? This is all pretty neat."

TJ nodded in agreement to his daughter chuckling. "Wouldn mind haven a gander at tha schematics myself."

Chibiki laughed. "Why doesn' tha surprise me?"

Axl didn't even bother with a response, before turning to the Jolteon as the last of the capsules rolled out of the machine. "Go ahead," he said simply.

Jolteon gave a quick bark and ran toward one of the higher platforms, looking about the power plants 'workers' for a few moments before giving a powerful howl. And in response, the Pokémon all turned their attention to the Jolteon, before starting to move over in neat lines, the smaller Pokémon up front.

"Eh? What's going on Bikis?"

"Heh… Oh ya'll see."

Just then, the Delibird finished their packing and hurried to a door to the side of the plant, but instead of walking out, they stood in a neat line and started searching through their bags. And as the other Pokemon approached them, they gave a questioning squawk to the Electric Pokemon, which was responded by a small cry. And in response, the Delibird pulled out what looked like a sandwich made out of berries and handed it over to the Pokémon.

And once they had a 'sandwich', the Pokémon went out the door, back where they had come from originally; the Emerald Woods.

"Can't have 'em workin' fer nothin', eh?"

"Oooh…minds me papa I'm hungry."

Nearly falling off his feet from the comment, the older adventure gave a growl muttering about 'just ate' before shaking it off. "Nice system tha Gems got round here, where tha Delis all from anyway though?"

"Oh, I bred most 'f 'em, act'ally," Chibiki chuckled.

"…Oh, right. The 'one of each type' law does not count for bred Pokémon."

Looking to Chibiki a bit in thought, Ketlin turned to her father a bit as she mused out "That mean if Papa used mostly his breeder skills he'd be allowed to have multi same ones?"

The silverhead was silent for a moment, before giving a shutter as he shut his eyes from the thought that crossed his mind "Ugh, jus wha I'd need, an army of Oni…"

"Actually, Ket," Hiiro interrupted. "The law is only effective on Pokémon caught in the Gem Archipelago. Not on Pokemon already in a Trainer's possession when they coime here."

"Since it's impossible ta check if they were caught or bred," Chibiki added.

"Mew now my head hurts enough with the complicated rules," the girl sighed out, getting her hair ruffled by her father in response.

Just then, the last Electric Pokémon left and the Delibird scurried over to Chibiki. "Heh, nice job everyone," she said with a smile, pulling out a couple of Pokéballs. "So le's get you back to the mountains, eh?"

Recalling the six Delibird, Chibiki spun the balls around a little. "Right. I'm off ta the center an' get these lil guys back. Might catch ya later!" she called out, hurrying out of the power plant

Blinking at that, Ketlin turned over to Axl curiously "mew, what mountain she means?"

"…The mountains at the GAPR, of course," Axl said simply, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world

"Oh, right… the GAPR is a perfect place for breeders to hang out, too…" Hiiro murmured.

"Me an Ketlin are still new round here, Axl," TJ said simply, giving a shrug. "We traveled so much we have trouble listenen ta news reports sometimes…"

"Scept when Papa writes one for a paper"

The Gym Leader didn't even respond to that, typing in a few things as the machines began to shut down one by one. Once the last one had been turned off, he turned to the others silently. "…I am returning to the Gym. If you wish to challenge me, meet me there."

And with that, Axl walked out, Jolteon following immediately.

Hiiro smiled a bit, and walked after with Eevee toddling after.

Ketlin followed with a smile herself, rubbing her chin thinking a bit to herself before tapping Hiiro's shoulders as they went. "Hiiry first, I'm gonna got to the center to see if my new buddies eggy ready yet so he can join me for the match"

Hiiro laughed. "If you say so… oh! Right, what kind of rules do you use, sir?"

"…Four Pokémon max. Double Battle. The first to down three Pokémon is the victor," Axl said simply.

"Erk!"

TJ, gave a sigh, giving Ketlin a look as if to silently say something.

"Mer…be fine papa…Oh, right…Hiiry before I go…what were you gonna say about Absol when I started the fight? about him being somethings…"

"…Nothing, never mind," Hiiro said absently. "I was just worried, that's all."

"About what they say about them…?"

Hiiro didn't respond as they left the power plant and Axl locked the facility once everyone was out.

After testing the door once, Axl turned and walked toward the building attached to it; the Pokémon Gym.

Watching Axl walk away, Ketlin turned her attention back to Hiiro, giving a deep frown to the boy as she said "Hiiry, don't always believe what the PokéDex says about Pokémon, or what people say about them too, cause I know you're better than that." With that, she quickly went to a smile, waving off as she rushed away to her father and travel companion. "Don't get whooped!"

Hiiro blinked as Ketlin rushed off, before sighing. "This is gonna be hard… If I have to pull Natu out, I'll definitely lose…" Rubbing the back of his head, he mumbled: "I need something else…"

"Hmm…well, we could always recheck tha forest again quickly. If cha want, my Pokémon can help rangle somethen up for cha

"Yeah, but… huh?" Hiiro blinked as he looked over to the lake where some of the kids had been fishing. One of them was cheering about hooking a Pokémon, even though he'd set it loose right after. Hiiro frowned in thought, before he allowed a small smirk. "I think I might know one… but I'm gonna need a fishing rod."

Blinking a bit in question, TJ reached to his bag, pulling out what appeared to just be the handle of a fishing pole, save it had a bright blue button above where the grip ended. "This should do for cha first pole."

"Oh, cool, thanks." Hiiro allowed a smile as he accepted the 'handle', before he started walking to the small lake. Eevee blinked curiously, before happily bounding after. "Let's see if I can catch one…"

* * *

In the meantime, Absol was lying on one of the couches in the Pokémon Center, occasionally glancing over to a door in the back, as though expecting someone to come out. When no one did, he rested his chin on his paws.

"No sign yet, huh shorter papa to be?" Ketlin chuckled out, walking besides the dark type before sitting down beside him. "Hard to picture tough guy like you all nervous."

Absol didn't look up as Ketlin sat down beside him, before suddenly perking up as a nurse exited the door, looking around rapidly before running to the counter and snagging a towel, and disappearing into the room she'd come from. Instantly, the Dark type deflated and lay his head down again.

"Come on buddy try and relax, babies feel that whole vibe thing as bad as I can," Ketlin said, reaching over to gently stroke his head. "Hm…come to think of it, is your mate an Absol too?"

"Ab." Absol merely nodded once, before looking over as Chibiki walked over, seemingly engrossed in some sort of thermometer, plopping down on the couch opposite of Ketlin and Absol. She didn't seem to notice the duo at all.

Ketlin chuckled a little, scratching at Absol's neck a little as she looked over to Chibiki's thermometer. "What's that Biki?"

"…" Strangely enough, Chibiki didn't even respond to that, merely staring at the small tube quietly.

Absol cocked his head curiously, seeming to think a moment, before he hopped off the couch and walked over to Chibiki. For a long moment, he just stood in front of her, as if expecting her to notice him. But when she didn't, he moved forward and licked her hand.

"GYAH!" Chibiki yowled out in surprise, the thermometer nearly hitting the ground if she hadn't managed to snag it (barely) in the air. "…buh?"

"Aaab?"

"Um… sorry, wha?"

"What is that thing?"

"Oh, this thing?" Chibiki mumbled, briefly holding up the thermometer. "Nothin' really. Jus'-"

But before Chibiki could finish there was a thrilled squeal that made Absol yowl and jump into Chibiki's arms in surprise as the nurse from before rushed out of the room, crying out: "They're here! The cubs are here!"

"Ah! That's great, how many are there?"

"Eight!" the nurse called out while she hurried back into the room as Absol jumped back to the ground.

"Eight?" Chibiki laughed out. "Geez!"

Absol barked happily, nearly bouncing on his feet.

Ketlin giggled herself, giving Absol's head a scratch in congratulations. "Congratulations you now an official papa…times eight""

Just then, though, the nurse came back and called out: "Ten!" She was about to head back in, when she whipped around upon hearing a shout from inside. "No no no, eleven!"

"Holy…" Chibiki murmured, while Absol stared at the nurse in slight surprise.

"…you really like multiplication don't you" The young girl stared in amazement to the Dark type.

"Ah wait one moment wait a moment…" the nurse called out again. "Thirteen!" As Absol blinked almost stupidly, he shook his head in time with the nurse as she said: "Oh no no, fourteen…! Ah, fifteen!"

Before Absol could collapse in sheer surprise, the nurse hurried over and ruffled the Pokémon's head. "And the mother's just fine. You lucky dog you!" she giggled with one last ruffle before hurrying off to help again.

"Well I'll be damned," Chibiki laughed out. "Dude, that's GOT ta be some sort of record somewhere!"

"Cha got a good handle as a fisher there Hiir…eh ey?" The silverheaded muttered, walking in with the young Pokémon Trainer in tow. "Wha's all tha hub bub?"

Hiiro blinked in surprise, looking around. "Did we miss something?"

"He's a papa to fifteen!"

"Fi-fifteen?" Hiiro choked out in awe.

Hearing that, TJ let a long whistle out. "Holly mew tha's a lot…"

Absol merely stumbled back for a bit, a slightly dopey expression on his face.

"I'll say! Heh. Well, why're ya still-"

"Fourteen…"

At that, everyone immediately turned to the nurse as she walked out with a small bundle wrapped up in a towel, a crestfallen expression on her face.

"Just fourteen…" she repeated, before handing the bundle to Chibiki. "One of them is dead… poor thing…" she murmured, walking away quietly.

"…aw slag…" TJ muttered, lowering his head as he shut his eyes. "Sorry, Absol…"

Absol sagged a little, giving a small whine. Chibiki sighed as she lightly adjusted her hold on the bundle. "Damn… sadly… tha's life sometimes…"

Hiiro watched it for a moment longer, before walking over to Chibiki. "Um… sorry. may I…?"

"…Yeah, sure," Chibiki said quietly, carefully handing the bundle to the boy.

Looking to the small bundle, Ketlin turned her eyes up quickly to Hiiro nodding. "Whatever you do…do fast and with all you can Hiiries…"

Hiiro nodded quietly, dropping to his knees and carefully moving some of the towel aside. Eevee whined curiously, even as Absol walked over to watch as Hiiro lightly placed his the tips of his fingers on the small hidden cub and moved his fingers over it gently but rapidly.

Chibiki leaned forward on her knees, watching wordlessly as the small bundle was lightly shook up because of Hiiro's motions. Sadly, little else seemed to be happening.

"…come on, your spark's not out yet even if only half as tough as your papa's that's more than a Zapdos can charge up…come on…" Ketlin whispered out, looking to the small bundle as her fingers clenched tight

Eevee watched for a moment, before his ears drooped, and even Absol seemed to be losing hope, when…

"…Look!" Hiiro breathed out, moving his hand away… and the bundle still twitched, before a tiny face wormed its way out of the towel.

Immediately, Absol smiled widely and moved his own face closer to the little one's.

Letting out the breath she wasn't even aware she was holding, Ketlin gave a big smile using her finger tips to pat at the little Absol as it began to stir. "Just like your papa, tough to keep you down too huh? Hehe."

"Oy!" Chibiki called out. "The lil guy's alive! We got fifteen live ones 'ere!"

Almost immediately, the nurse burst out the door in surprise before a bright smile appeared on her face. "Oh, he's alive? Oh thank Arceus!" she cried, hurrying over.

TJ smiled himself, giving Hiiro's head a ruffle. "Good job kiddo"

Hiiro allowed a small, relieved smile, before carefully giving the cub to the nurse. "Here."

"Heh. An' I believe ya kept the girl waitin' long 'nough," Chibiki quipped, lightly rapping Absol on his head. "Get goin'!"

"Ab!" Absol barked out, before hurrying over and through the door the nurse had come from, said nurse slowly walking after with the last cub.

"Hey, Nurse!" Ketlin called out quickly "Can we come in to see em?"

The nurse allowed a smile. "Sure. Just be quiet, okay?"

"Vee!" Eevee chirped, bounding after her, and Hiiro laughed as he hurried to catch up.

"Then we might have a problem with this lill bundle of spirit then" TJ chuckled out nodding to his daughter, giving another chuckle as she smacked at his knee.

"…I'll pass, thanks anyway," Chibiki said simply, tossing the small thermometer up a few times before heading back to plop down on the couch.

Sighing a bit, the young adventuress gave Hiiro's shoulder a pat nodding. "Common Hiiries."

"I'll wait out here…wha's tha cha got Chibs?"

As the two kids hurried out of the room, Chibiki silently held out the thermometer to TJ.

The silverhead gave a glance, before turning a slight shade of red as he muttered "Ah…so…cha an Axl are…"

"Hmhmm."

"Heh…congratulations Chibis."

"Thanks."

Taking a seat besides the brunette, TJ gave a sigh as he laid back into the seat looking to the ceiling "Hehe, uugh, boy I am really starten ta feel old…might wanna avoid letten Ket know bout tha…lill bundle. She still has her thinken cap for her name for Absol in there…probably given it to him now."

Leaning back, Chibiki chuckled. "Yeah, I figured…"

"An tha might be a bad thing, she always has her quirks with namen…" Shaking it aside, the silverhead looked over to Chibiki. "So, how'd cha 'n Axl meet? For tha matter why's cha sis round here to?"

Chibiki chuckled. "I met Axl on our trip in Kanto. As for why we're here… Z an' Axl originally come from here."

"Seriously? Huh, think cha know a person…then again I probably crammed so many poke-job facts in my noggen I probably deleted tha by mistake."

"Ah, Z never brought it up… mostly 'coz 'f the rivalry she's got goin' with her sis."

"Eh…boy tha really throws me for a loop" TJ muttered out, blinking a bit as he heard a slight sound from the next room. "From tha sound of it Absol jus heard about his name…"

Chibiki chuckled. "Well, tha's gonna be interestin'."

* * *

**Axl is based on the similarly named character from Mega Man X 7-8, only this is the 'Dark variant' of it from my AU.  
**

**The scene with the cubs is (obviously) based on the scene from 101 Dalmatians by Disney.  
**


	7. Chapter 6 Axl of Amethyst

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 6: Axl of Amethyst**

* * *

The inside of the Amethyst Gym was, to put it bluntly, dark. It was rather difficult to see anything.

"Okay, who hid the light switch?" Hiiro mumbled, touching along the wall in search of said switch.

"Mrr…hate this no time to…Found it," Ketlin muttered, with an audible smack into a wall as she flipped the switch with her knuckles. "Now to deal with…"

The second Ketlin flipped the switch, a crash of thunder ripped through the room, briefly lighting up the room as it struck a 'lightning rod'. The resulting electricity that rushed through it lit up a vein along the ground and then went up a wall, activating the lights and revealing the Gym for what it really was; a maze consisting of several floors that could clearly be manipulated by the lightning rods. And to make matter slightly more dangerous, the lowest floor was covered in water, and there was a different lightning rod there that sent the electricity from the (now almost constant) thunderbolts into the water.

"…Wow…" Hiiro choked out. "This… looks complicated."

Growling, the young adventuress crossed her arms grumbling out "Great…I can deal with little elect but that much would seriously sting…not to mention you'd get a real big ouch…and again no places for…"

"No place for what?"

Blinking a bit, Ketlin growled something out before shaking her head, "Never mind, Hiiry, you go ahead you're better at puzzles than me."

"…If you say so…" Hiiro murmured, looking around and taking a moment to study the 'puzzle'.

"…Lightning will always go for the highest point with the opposite pole as itself…" he started to mumble after a bit, one hand to his chin. "So to get through the water, we have to make the lightning strike a higher platform… but then how do we get down?"

Leaning over the railing, Hiiro hummed in thought. "There's some stairs going into the water… but it doesn't connect to anything…" After a moment of looking around, he noticed something. "Ah! We have to get up there," he said, pointing the area two floors above them.

The only downside was that there was no visible way to get there.

"…sorry but I don't do Mankey, how the heck do we do that?"

"This way." With that, Hiiro walked down the stairs on the left side.

Giving a sigh, the girl followed, but by the looks of it, reluctantly.

After a moment, they stopped in front of a small pedestal. "If I'm right… this is…" Hiiro mumbled, crouching down and pushing the button on the front.

Instantly, a lightning rod erupted from the pedestal, just as another lightning bolt crashed down and struck it. The resulting burst of electricity caused the floor on their left to glow, before extending upward and forming a stairway up to the next floor.

"That's how that works."

"See what I mean, your good at this Hiiry."

"I just try to think from a logical standpoint. Well, let's go."

* * *

This continued for a while longer, until they had reached the floor that Hiiro had pointed out before. And once they activated the lightning rod, it activated the staircase leading down into the water. However, since the lightning was now being drawn into the lightning rod they had just 'activated', the water was safe to wade through.

"And done. I'm guessing that Axl is beyond that door…"

"Then go beat him, Hiiry," Ketlin said simply sighing as she shrugged her shoulders "Frankly…hate water…"

"You want to wait here, then?" Hiiro asked her.

"Just go already I'm grumpy and since I half time got my head mix with a Pokémon I bite when I grumpy now shoo!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going I'm going… esh…" Hiiro mumbled, beginning to descend the staircase carefully so that he wouldn't slip, since there were no rails to hold on to. "I'll see you in a bit, then!"

"Just go kick butt here an all that" Ketlin waved out, walking away from the boy's view as he made his way down.

* * *

As Hiiro stepped through the door, he gave a small whistle as he noticed just how the battle field appeared. The numerous lightning rods to the side created a sort of 'lightning fence

on the very edge of the field, making a toss over there dangerous if you weren't an Electric type Pokémon.

"…So you came," Axl said simply from where he sat on a crate, obviously waiting.

"Yeah," Hiiro said softly, walking over to stand on the other side of the field. "So… Double Battle, right?"

Axl merely nodded and stood up. Without a word, he pulled out two Pokéballs, before tossing them out into the field.

The first Pokémon was his Jolteon, which Hiiro had kind of expected. Its spiked mane seemed to vibrate from the amount of electricity in the air, as it growled in warning.

The second one was a powerful looking Raichu, with electricity already sparking at the large mouse's cheeks as a cheeky smirk crossed his face.

"Jolteon and Raichu…" Hiiro whispered, reaching up for his cap. 'Right… I know that he also has a Plusle and Minun… but what else? Those two probably aren't powerful enough for Gym fights, so he must have something else up his sleeve…'

"Just standing there looking worried won't win this fight, challenger!"

"Huh?"

There was no sign of the owner of the voice, but after a moment, a bolt of lightning struck down to a point above the arena, before bursting into several sparks that struck the numerous lightning rods at once creating a blinding flash. Once everyone regained their senses, the one who had spoken out was standing right besides Hiiro as if always she had always been there, a young girl about his age, wearing what could outright be called a costume to hide her face behind a mask covering everything except her mouth, designed a bright shade of fiery red with a few locks of dark chocolate brown bangs hanging over the ridges. A short white zip up vest hung loosely along her shoulders over a dark black type of body suit, a belt and odd red and blue gloves and boots, the latter of which had the Pokéballs attached along her ankles to it as she grinned out, pointing dramatically to the Gym Leader "Don't mind a team up for your challengers, Sparky?"

"…Who are…?" Hiiro whispered softly.

"…Do as you wish," Axl said simply, obviously not impressed by the entrance.

"Just call me Kamen Trainer, Challenger" The girl grinned out, flexing her legs a bit as she began to shift her weight, before spinning on her heel as she kicked out suddenly, launching off one of the clipped Pokéballs attached to the boots heel. In a flash of the red light, A prickly cacti Pokémon materialized with a battle like shout.

"Cacneaa!"

'A Cacnea…?' Hiiro frowned a little in thought before reaching for his own Pokéball after twisting his cap around. "And I have a name you know… it's Hiiro," he said, before tossing the ball forward.

The Pokémon materializing from it immediately pushed itself up on its ringtail and released a cry of its own.

"Sentreeeet!"

'Kamen Trainer' grinned a bit, giving Hiiro's shoulder a light slap as she chuckled out "Learn to declare yourself with more fire in your stomach then maybe I'll call you that, Challenger."

But before Hiiro could say anything in response, Axl spoke quietly.

"Begin."

Immediately, Jolteon and Raichu leaped into action, Jolteon rushing for Sentret, while Raichu fired off several powerful Thunderbolts at Cacnea.

"Ah! Sentret, move!" Hiiro cried out, and Sentret immediately jumped over Jolteon as the Electric type rushed it, landing behind it before spinning on his heel and smashing his tail into the other Pokémon.

"Jolt!"

"Pin Tower!"

At that, Cacnea grinned out, jumping up and slamming its thorny arm down, sending a barrage of Pin Missiles into the floor, before leaping back in time as the thunderbolts collided, with the now formed spikes collectively a good few 'pins' taller than the Grass type. "Cac!"

"Wreck it!"

Giving a nod, Cacnea switched to its other arm as the spikes along it glowed with the venomous purple, smashing into the Pin Missile tower sending the spikes scattering towards Raichu, now encased with the Poison Sting's venom.

"…Agility times two."

On Axl's command, the two Pokémon immediately kicked off from the ground and started darting around the field so fast that it was almost impossible to follow them.

"Oh great…" Hiiro murmured, watching them dash back and forth. "Sentret, get ready!"

Kamen Trainer, and her Pokémon respectively just stared ahead unmoving and silent as the two electric types rushed around. "…"

Sentret frowned, watching the Pokémon darting around rapidly, his body seeming a little tense about the situation.

"…Quick Attack to your left!" Hiiro suddenly shouted, and instantly, Sentret dashed forward, smashing his head straight into Jolteon's, sending the Pokémon flying with a yowl.

"…Now!"

Ducking quick, Cacnea avoided as Raichu rushed at it, before bringing its thorny arm up in a blink sending the large electric rodent into the air with its sucker punch "CACNEA!"

Raichu let out a cry of surprise, but then it snarled and snapped its tail forward, slamming it into Cacnea's chest. "Raaaiiii-CHUUUUUUUUU!" it screamed and unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning through its tail and into the Grass type.

Cacnea let out a howl, but grit its teeth (or what could count for it) swinging its prickled arm down and through Raichu's tail, before giving a tug, effectively wrapping the thin part of the electric types limb around its own as it snapped the rodent into the ground

Sadly, that backfired as Raichu landed on all fours and grinned icily at Cacnea, before spinning around and sending Cacnea flying headlong into Sentret. Said Pokémon yelped when the prickly Pokémon sent him rolling over the ground - though the two didn't get far as Jolteon used a powerful Rock Smash to send the duo smashing into the ground.

Of course, Sentret did not handle that particular attack well and fell unconscious almost as soon as he hit the ground.

Cacnea, for its part, managed to stay conscious, growling a bit as it pushed itself back to its feet a bit wobbly looking down to its fallen 'partner'. "Cacneee…"

Kamen Trainer herself, was looking a bit winded now next to Hiiro, holding her side as she panted a bit to get her breath. "Dammit…"

Hiiro blinked slightly as he noticed Kamen Trainer panting as she was. 'Wait a second… is she…?'

"Pay attention, Challenger!" Kamen growled out, straightening herself out as Cacnea glared at the two electric types with its arms twitching a bit by its sides

"…Right…" Hiiro murmured, bringing up his Pokéball. "You did a good job, Sentret… return."

As Sentret was returned, Hiiro reached for his next Pokéball. "I wasn't expecting to have to use you this early, girl… but looks like I don't have much choice… Show 'em what you're made off!" he shouted, tossing the Pokéball forward.

As the Pokéball popped open, a tiny Pokémon appeared that was a light blue with no arms, tiny feet and a floppy tail. Its head was almost as wide as its body's length, and it had a pair of antennae on the side of its head. Its eyes were small and beady, while its mouth stretched over its entire head.

"…Woopaaa?" the small Pokémon chirped, cocking her head.

Axl actually tensed briefly when he saw the new challenger, but other than that, he did not respond.

"The water fish Pokémon, Wooper. Heh, course," the masked girl grinned, nodding to her Pokémon who rushed again for Raichu.

Raichu frowned briefly, before diving aside from the rush and Slammed into the other Pokémon's side with almost bruising force.

"Rgh!" Kamen called out, grabbing her sides again as her Pokémon skid along the ground a bit, hissing something lowly to herself. "Not a…bad hit it gave ya huh girl…"

Jolteon in the meantime was staring down Wooper, but the tiny Pokémon was merely watching him with its little beady eyes.

Hiiro glanced over from the corner of his eyes, but said nothing. "Wooper, use Water Gun!"

Wooper blinked once, before she squirted out a powerful spray of water.

Of course, Jolteon dodged that easily, rushing in towards Wooper as fast as it could.

Cacnea, began to push itself up weakly, by the signs of how much its arms were shaking, it was well on its last ounce of strength just to stay conscious as it looked over to the rodent. After a moment though, it gave a grin as a strange tightness started to alert the Electric type. "Caaacneeaaa…" it cheekily grinned out, as several batches of vines sprouted along Raichu's head, emanating from a seed

along the back of Raichu's neck.

"Raaaai!"

"…Bite, Cut."

Jolteon immediately jumped forward with its fangs bared, making Wooper yelp and try to flee, though the other Pokémon still snapped its jaws shut on her tail, making the Pokémon yowl out.

Raichu growled angrily, reaching up with its tail briefly - and promptly slicing the vines off of its head, as well as the seed they had come from.

Just as the vines fell across its face, Raichu gained its vision back in time to see the dark shadow of Cacnea's 'fist' collide with its nose sending the electric type back with another Sucker punch attack

"RAI!" the mouse Pokémon cried out, rolling across the ground with a pained grunt. It did not attempt to get back up again.

Axl wordlessly raised his Pokéball and recalled the Pokémon.

"Lo-looks like that evened the fight out again," Kamen grinned out, standing up in a confident matter again as she let out a long breath, matching with her Cacnea's own breath.

Without responding to Kamen Trainer's words, Axl tossed out his third Pokéball. The Pokémon that erupted from it was a blue and yellow canine like Pokémon, its features sharp and powerful, its body sparking with electricity as it let out a growl; a Manectric.

"…Course" the girl grumbled out, straightening up as she snapped her neck to the side, staring ahead as her Cacnea got ready for the Manectric

The Manectric didn't even give a warning as it suddenly rushed right into Cacnea, the electric charge surrounding it creating a powerful Spark that did tremendous damage.

"CAAAC!" The grass type shouted, being sent spiraling along the ground before stopping in a heap, struggling only for a brief moment or two before collapsing totally. "Neaa…"

The masked trainer gave a hushed yelp herself, her limbs starting to spasm a bit oddly as she twitched on the spot. "D-damn not…now…"

Hiiro watched her for a moment longer, before he asked: "You alright?"

"Fa-fai…Fine" She said quickly, trying to straighten herself out as she struggled to raise a Pokéball recalling her fallen Grass type. "You…gave yo-your best girl. Re-rest up".

Shaking herself a bit, Kamen gave a glare through her mask, before kicking out again sending her next Pokéball flying. Coming from the light as it took solid form, a small bipedal large armed Pokémon, almost like an ancient machine of light and dark blue parts centered around a ball like chest with a flat, fin tipped head and glowing yellow eyes. "Gol-ett!"

'Golett… yeah… then she must be…' Hiiro thought briefly, looking back to the masked Trainer, before turning back to the fight at hand.

Wooper was busy with kicking at Jolteon's jaw from where she was hanging from its jaw by her tail, chirping in slight annoyance as she did.

Jolteon growled in aggravation, biting down harder on Wooper's tail… before starting to choke and suddenly spitting the Water/Ground type back out. Wooper rolled forward a few times, shaking her tiny head a little, before looking back to Jolteon as it continued to cough and hack.

Flexing a bit, Golett reared its arm back, staring right for its Electric opponent as its fingers coiled tightly. "Goooooll…"

Manectric glanced over to Jolteon for a moment, before crouching down as more electricity started to spark around its body.

"Wooper! Slam into Jolteon! Now!" Hiiro called out.

The small Pokémon immediately hopped up and kicked off, slamming right into Jolteon's chest and sending the Electric type rolling with a cry of pain.

Hearing Jolteon's shout, Golett seemed to vanish, only for his 'fist' to appear right into Manectric's face as the rest of it materialized with its shadow punch

However, Golett's fist passed through only air as Manectric appeared behind the Ghost type, the Double Team move fading away as Manectric unleashed a powerful Thunder attack.

Golett took the full force of the attack, looking up to Manectric before smashing its fist down with a force that blew the ground under it apart, sending debris and a cloud of dust everywhere

From within the cloud, a glint of metal shone for a moment before the whirl of a high speed spin was heard, before a whirling ball that was Golett suddenly came crashing down for Manectric as the part ghost type came smashing down in a full rollout after bouncing around from the debris.

Jolteon in the meantime tried to push back up, only to whine and flop back onto the ground in exhaustion.

Axl merely watched as the Golett rushed into Manectric, the Electric type barely avoiding the attack, even as he recalled Jolteon.

"…Two Ground types, huh?" he whispered, before he tossed out his last Pokéball.

The Gym Leader's last Pokémon was a peculiar one that looked much like a furless sheep, only its neck was much longer than one would expect of a sheep. Its coloration was a bright yellow and two gems were situated on the tip of its tail and on the center of its forehead. Its tummy was white, while the neck, tail and ears had black rings on them; an Ampharos.

'This could be bad… Something tells me this is his strongest one…' Hiiro thought quietly. 'If it knows Flash, this will be very annoying…'

"Get Wooper."

"Huh?

Shifting its spin, the ghost ground type went rushing for the little blue Pokémon in a hurry, unrolling at the last second and snatching the small Pokémon in its hand before tossing it straight up in the air as it began its last rotation. As the water ground type flew up, Golett clenched his fist tightly as he began to straighten up, and bring his knuckles into the ground with an earth quaking force, the Magnitude attack.

"Woopaaaaaa!" the tiny Pokémon cried out in surprise.

The two Electric types immediately leaped up to avoid the attack, however. Obviously, they were properly trained at avoiding attacks like that. And to make it worse, as Manectric came down, it rushed forward in a blur of darkness

"GOL!" the ancient machine cried out, being sent some ways back before it managed to straighten itself again. "Gol-ett…"

Just as he did, though, Wooper dropped down - right on Manectric's head, making the canine yowl in surprise as this resulted in its head smacking into the ground. Wooper blinked once and sat up on top of Manectric's head, looking around curiously, not seeming to realize just where she was. Which she realized soon enough when Manectric growled, making her look down before leaping away with a yelp as the Electric type attempted to Bite her.

Just as she toddled toward Golett, though, Ampharos gave a cry, the gem on the tip of its tail beginning to pulse.

"Uh-oh! Wooper! Golett! Close your eyes!"

Kamen Trainer gave a blink, looking to Hiiro as he called out quickly. "Hm?"

But before the Pokémon could do so, a bright Flash lit up the entire room… to such an extent that it was almost blinding.

"Gah!/ Grrah!"

"Woooooo!/Goool!"

"…Dynamic Punch, Faint Attack." In an instant, the two Pokémon rushed forward toward the two challengers.

Hiiro hissed, rubbing at his eyes. "Roll away, Wooper! Try to avoid it!"

The masked trainer gave her own hiss, using the back of her arm to rub her face as she snarled out "Sh-shadow punch!"

At that, Golett, still a bit shaken from being blinded, disappeared into a mist of a shadow, before reappearing in front of Wooper smashing its fist into Ampharos' Dynamic Punch, while taking Manectric's Faint attack into his exposed undersides "GOL!"

Wooper gave a small whine, before she dropped her head forward and rolled - right into Manectric's legs. And she kept going even as Manectric fell, making her roll right over him with more power than before as she gained speed.

"Maaa!" the canine howled, not expecting the tiny Pokémon to use Rollout like that.

Ampharos barely responded to the Shadow Punch, and instead launched a second punch with its free arm.

"Cross Counter!"

Hearing that, Golett swung its weight right for Ampharos, taking the second punch dead on, while its other arm came up right into the electric types own cheek with a Dynamic Punch of its own

Ampharos howled out as it was launched backwards.

"Slam, Wooper!" Hiiro cried out.

Wooper unfurled immediately and dropped down with enough force to almost shove Manectric through the ground. The Electric type howled in pain, before collapsing entirely.

Blinking the specks of light away from his eyes, Hiiro stared at the battlefield. "Wait… we did it?"

"Rh…Yeah…" The masked trainer sighed out, rubbing her cheek a bit as the marks of a bruise began to form, Golett rubbing the side of its face in synche with her motions "Good thing too, he only had two more of those shots left in his arm"

Ampharos shook its head briefly, watching its partner, before it stood straight as Axl raised two Pokéballs and recalled the two Electric types without a word.

"…impressive…" he said simply.

Crossing her arms, the guised trainer watched as her Pokémon used his ghostly nature to disappear, then reappear in a mist beside her with a grin. "Only impressive if we won with an element disadvantage from the start"

Wooper blinked at Golett, before rolling her way over to Hiiro, lightly bumping into his leg before stepping up next to her Trainer. "Well, you have to admit that his Pokémon were well prepared for Ground attacks, Ke-"

Before the boy could finish, Golett's metallic like leg came down a bit on the end of his foot in response, as the ghost/ground types trainer coughed out "Sorry guess he's still a little blind from the flash earlier."

"Ow!" Hiiro hissed out, rubbing his foot painfully, while Wooper blinked curiously.

Axl remained silent, walking over to them as he placed one hand into his pocket, his expression barely changing. Once he was about two feet away, though, he spoke: "That so…?" before pulling out his hand and holding it palm up toward the duo.

Inside his palm rested two circle-shaped badges with a lightning bolt pinned into the center, almost forming an S-shape on the pin.

Smiling at the sight, Kamen Trainer picked up one of the badges, flicking it through the air as she turned around, capturing it in her fist as she smirked out "Badge two, get. Lets ghost…"

At that, Golett went into a quick roll out, bouncing off into the air punching its fist into a lightning bolt causing a flash. As the gym leader and Hiiro's vision returned, Kamen Trainer and her ghost/ground type in kind were gone.

Hiiro was silent for a moment, before he sighed and accepted the Badge from Axl.

"…Interesting companion you have on your trip…" Axl said simply.

"…? You saw?"

"She and you were the only ones to enter the Gym today. Your ID card is automatically scanned upon entering the Gym."

"Ah…"

"Yeah, sorry bout tha'," A voice called out a bit apologetically behind Axl and Hiiro

Hiiro blinked and looked over curiously.

Sitting along a camping fold out chair, the silverhead gave a slight grin and nod as he shrugged out "Nice fight cha kids had though."

"TJ? When did you…?"

Chibiki chuckled from where she stood against the doorway. "We've been watchin' the whole time, kid."

"…Really?"

"Who cha think taught her how ta do tha easy in an easy out thing?" TJ chuckled rubbing his neck. "Um, figured cha woulda seen 'Kamen' sooner or later with us around anyway too. Cha figured it pretty fast, too."

Hiiro rubbed the back of his neck as Wooper plopped down on the ground for a moment. "Well… I guess I was always fast to pick up on tiny details like that…" he admitted. "Puzzles, too… I just tried to work them out logically."

"Cha got talent for it," TJ chuckled out, sighing as he rubbed the back of his own neck. "Um…bout tha whole costumed thing…try not to mind it…its kinda her defense mechanism…"

At that, Hiiro blinked. "Defense mechanism…?

"Well…tha's tha best way I can put it in simple words…" the silverhead sighed out. "Cha know wha happens ta her when she battles with her Pokémon. Costume at first was mainly ta hide her wounds, then ta help her fell confident in herself, cha know. 'Brave and bold heroic' mindset."

"Oh… I see."

"Yeah, she prefers it better if not many know tha whole identity issue cause of it too…erm sorry bout cha foot on tha, least it wasn' Natsu, he's heavier than Toku."

"Yeah… Still… ow…"

"Well, anyway," Chibiki interrupted. I'm guessin' ya guys're headin' ta Sapphire after this, right?"

Hiiro blinked in surprise, before nodding. "Yeah, we were."

"Figures… but ya're gonna have ta wait til tamorrow ta head out I'm afraid."

Blinking at that, TJ chuckled with a shrug. "No problem for me, gives me a reason to hang here an have a lookit all these electric charges some more."

Hiiro, however, frowned in thought, before he realized. "Oh right… the ferry leaves once every day, right?"

"Yep. So it won't be headin' ta Sapphire until tamorrow."

"Ferry huh, been a while since I been on one…ergh hope I dont get sea sick tha'll be embarrasen…"

To that, the other Trainers allowed a small chuckle (even Axl).

* * *

Hiiro wiped some of the smudges from his new badge as he walked into the Center, before clicking his case shut and putting it back in his bag. "Well, that was fun."

"Hehe, rough fight like tha I'd imagine" TJ chuckled, ruffling Hiiro's cap a bit "Erm, fair warnen Ket will probably be affectionate on cha."

"Huh?"

Shrugging, the older silverhead chuckled "A Pokémon she likes jus had a big litter of pups, she won a badge in a Double Battle somethen tha always caused her grief. She owes cha thanks for tha, for taken tha strain an pain off her from tha Gym match."

"Oh… Guess I can live with that," Hiiro said with a small shrug.

"Erm cha really haven seen kitten when she's overly affectionate…then again…" The silverhead chuckled, looking ahead with a slight nod

"Hm?" Hiiro blinked, following the older Trainer's gaze.

What he saw, was Ketlin, fast asleep along a couch, gently snoozing away as she was coiled lightly around Absol, who in turn was partly asleep himself looking tuckered as she was, with his head resting along her stomach as they slept.

Hiiro allowed a quiet chuckle and turned to TJ. "Maybe we should let them rest for n-eh?" Blinking, Hiiro hurried over to a bulletin board, looking at one of the posters clipped to it.

Blinking curiously himself, TJ followed over to the board looking to the poster that caught the young Trainer's attention. "…Hm?"

The poster depicted some sort of circular tower with sapphire colored windows that seemed to shine in the afternoon light. What was most peculiar about the poster was the flurry of pink and blue 'dots' that seemed to circle around the entire building.

"…That's… oh, of course! The Memorial Service is tomorrow," Hiiro whispered softly.

"Memorial Service? Wha's tha?"

"It's a service held at the Memorial Tower by Sapphire's Gym Leader. It's a service meant to ease the souls of the dead Pokémon that were laid to rest in the tower, and also to stand still at the victims of the Great War of 36 years ago."

Blinking a bit, TJ frowned looking to Hiiro questioningly "Wha great war?"

"I don't know everything about that… only few do, actually," Hiiro admitted. "From what I know, it was a terrible war between two groups of humans that devoured the land and nearly wiped out over 3/4 of the archipelago's population. Both human and Pokémon."

Frowning a bit more, the silverhead gave a nodd crossing his arms "I see…an its held at Saphire?…" In slight thought he muttered something like 'not good' under his breath as he rubbed his chin

"…? Something wrong?" Hiiro asked worriedly.

"…hm? Oh, no, probably nothen anyway, so we'd get there on time ta attend this?"

"I think so… We'd have to fold some Lilies in advance for it, though… but most people do, anyway…"

"Fold lilies? More intersten customs cha got here at Gem," TJ chuckled out with a small nod.

"I'll show you. One moment," Hiiro said, hurrying to the counter. "Excuse me," he called out to the nurse. "Do you have some colored paper to fold Lilies?"

"Oh, yes, of course!" the nurse said with a smile, pulling out some sheets of blue paper.

"Could I get some pink ones to go with that?"

"Of course."

Hiiro accepted the two stacks of papers and walked over to the couch where Ketlin and Absol were napping, placing the stacks down on the table and taking a seat across from the duo.

Pulling out his fold out seat, TJ took a spot beside Hiiro watching a bit in interest

"Lilies are basically papers folded into a lily shape that dance on the wind. Most kids on the GA are taught how to fold them when they're 4 years old," Hiiro explained, beginning to expertly fold a piece of paper numerous times. Slowly, the paper began to take shape, forming a gorgeous paper lily. "Perfecting the folding of one usually takes about a month or two, though," he admitted, folding one side and setting it in front of TJ.

"Impressive though," The silverhead chuckled with a nod. "Kinda like this lill tradition at least. Should see tha one in Kanto."

"Maybe I will," Hiiro said with a smile, handing TJ a sheet of his own. "Here. I'll go slow this time so you can see how it goes."

TJ gave a nod, taking the paper starting to watch Hiiro starting to follow his folding steps a bit. "Well cha'll probably like it too, especially if cha like toy boats"

"I never really bothered with boats before…" Hiiro admitted, taking one edge of paper and making a rather tricky fold. "But who knows?"

"Well" The silverhead chuckled, folding a bit before 'redoing' the fold a bit properly again "Cha won't have much time ta get attached ta it, one sail trip is tha idea with them at Kanto"

Hiiro merely nodded, continuing to fold slowly.

* * *

A bit later, the young adventuress began to stir, mostly because the Absol's fur was beginning to tickle at her nose. Starting to push herself up, Ketlin began to sleepily rub at her eyes with a yawn. "Nrrhn…how long was I out…"

The moment Ketlin's eyes regained their focus, she was greeted by numerous paper lilies that rested upon the table, some of them a little better looking than others, but still looking very impressive.

"…who planted pop out books when I was asleep?" Ketlin blinked out in surprise, looking around the table curiously.

"Hello Ketlin," Hiiro said simply, finishing another Lily.

"You made all these?"

"Nope." Hiiro pointed to TJ casually. "Your dad helped."

Giving a shrug as he began to crease another fold, the silverhead chuckled out "Part of a remembrance tradition we're gonna be runnen inta soon."

"Ooh, neat," Ketlin giggled, picking up one of the lilies as Absol sleepily laid his head across her lap. "They look real pretty, Hiiry."

"Oiy wha about mine?"

"Crumbly."

"Jee thanks kit…"

Hiiro allowed a small chuckle as he picked up the other stack of pink papers. "Well, I got these for you to practice with, Kets. You wanna try?"

Giving a nod, Ketlin eased the dark types head from her lap, quickly plopping down right next to Hiiro as she took the papers "Sure looks Fun Hiiry-hiiry""

"…Why double?"

Cutting in quickly, TJ retorted in a small chuckle "Warned cha shed be oddly affectionate…"

"Oy…" Hiiro mumbled softly, before picking up another sheet and placing it flat on the surface. "Okay, pay close attention, Kets."

"Oooaaky dookies."

* * *

**The gimmick of the Amethyst Gym is derived from the Thunder Temple from Tales of Symphonia.**


	8. Chapter 7 Route to Sapphire Island

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 7: Route to Sapphire Island  
**

* * *

Sapphire Isle was one of the bigger islands of the Gem Archipelago and one of the two that held an actual city. There were two ways to get to the island; by the ferry, or by using a Water Pokémon's aid. However, the latter was considered to be a difficult option and should only be performed by professional Trainers and well-trained Pokémon, as the route was a difficult one and it was easy to get lost in the shoals leading to Sapphire Isle. It wasn't rare for Trainers unused to the currents of the open sea in that particular section to loop around back to the beach of Amethyst.

Which is why many Trainers preferred to use the ferry; the "Pandora".

* * *

"This is it," Hiiro said as they stopped before the ferry. "This is the 'Pandora'."

The 'ferry' was more like a miniature cruiseship, with enough space to fit in at least 50 to 60 people, maybe even 70 to 80.

"Whaaooooo that's one big fairy…" Ketlin blinked out as she looked up to the boat

Holding his hand up quickly, TJ cut Hiiro's question short as he sighed "Word she been usen since baby won't stop callen em this. But yeah now this is a ferry"

"Glad to see you like her, since you will probably be spending a few hours on her deck," came a casual voice from above, laced with a slight French accent, making the small group look up.

The man standing on one of the upper decks was a man with chin-length blond hair and two different colored eyes; one being a sky blue hue, while the other was an icy blue. Given his dress code, he was probably the captain of the ship.

Chuckling a bit, TJ gave a shrug, before giving a proper sailor's salute to the captain "Permission to board sir"

Giggling at her father, Ketlin gave a wave up to the captain smiling. "Sounds fun, hey think we can fish a bit on here? Water makes me hungry."

The captain laughed lightly. "Feel free to come on. And as long as you steer clear from the back while you fish, you're free to do as you wish."

"Thank you," Hiiro said politely with a small smile as he walked onboard.

Starting to walk, TJ sighed a bit as his daughter tugged at his bag, letting the girl hop on as he climbed up. "Pokémon allowed out on tha right? Few of mine really like boat rides they'd probably wanna be out for this."

"Of course. Be my guest," the captain said with a smile, before walking back the way he'd come.

Hiiro kept on going until he leaned against the railing and stared ahead for a moment, seeming to be lost in thought.

Chuckling at that, the silverhead asked Ketlin to shift to his other shoulder as he gave a sharp whistle, causing his bag to rustle as at once a flash of red light from a Pokémon emerged. Taking shape was a humanoid insect like creature, a glossy metallic red armor covering its sleek, arrow like frame with massive red pincer claws with yellow dots about either side, like miniature heads along its wrists. "Scizor!"

Upon that shout, Hiiro glanced over briefly, but didn't seem that interested. Instead, he reached for the Pokéballs resting on his belt and tapped them each in turn. One by one, his Pokémon appeared by his feet, curiously looking about where they were, before glancing through the railing to the water. Out of the five, only Houndour seemed a to be a little tense to be there, but he definitely made sure it didn't show (much).

Hiiro just kept his gaze on the open water, seemingly lost in thought.

"Hm?" Ketlin blinked a little, looking to the boy as he gazed to the water "You okay Hiiry?"

"…Yeah," Hiiro said simply. "Just thinking.

Looking to the boy, the silverhead shrugged leaning along the railing to look to the water himself "Lots a person can think about when they're still jus beginning their journey, penny for cha thoughts?"

"…'s Nothing important, really…"

"If cha say so kiddo"

* * *

It took about an hour for the Pandora to be ready to depart, given that there were plenty of people who required a trip to Sapphire Island. Most of the people also carried a box that was, clearly, filled with paper Lilies, which was similar to the one Hiiro had arranged earlier that day. But finally, the Pandora shut its doors and began its trip across the water.

"Looks like there's a lot of people going to Sapphire for the Service," Hiiro said quietly.

"Probably a fair number of trainers among em" TJ pointed out simply, looking down as his mind began to relax watching a few Magikarp swim about

"Maybe… Wouldn't surprise me…" Hiiro murmured, watching as Houndour ran after Wooper, barking as the small Water-type toddled along. "…I wonder what it's like…"

"What like?"

"The Service… I've never actually seen it in person."

"Oh? Hm, well guess were both gonna see it first time then" the silverhead chuckled, looking skyward as he sighed out

Eevee mewled happily, running after Houndour and Wooper, turning the corner - and yelped as he rolled back after bumping into something.

Hiiro blinked and looked over.

Coming from around the corner was the same light green-furred Espeon that Hiiro had spotted back in Amethyst, followed shortly by its Trainer. She watched the small Eevee for a moment, before she stepped up to the railing, Espeon following quietly. She, too, carried a box of paper Lilies, all of them pink in color.

Looking to the Trainer a bit curiously, the silverhead knelt down setting the small Eevee straight again patting the little guy's head "Kay lill one?"

Eevee blinked slowly, before giving a small yip to TJ, but after a moment he looked to the Espeon curiously, head cocked to one side.

Hiiro blinked a few times, looking over to the female Trainers as she stared across the water in silence. Espeon just stared out across the water as well, before it settled beside its Trainer. She did not look up from whatever she was doing, seemingly too absorbed in her own thoughts to really care. After a moment longer, Hiiro finally just shrugged it off and turned to gaze out across the water as well.

"…hmm…" Shaking it off, the silverhead began to fish around his bag a bit. "Oh well…where's tha…"

"Lose something?" asked a casual voice from behind TJ.

"Hm?" Blinking as he turned about, TJ chuckled out rubbing the back of his head "Yeah my fishen rod, made tha thing so handy I keep losen it in my bag…tha or my troublemaker Pokémon got at it again…"

At that, the captain allowed a small chuckle. "I suppose that's what you get for making some things too compact, hm?

"Eh true but sure helps out for sales when cha need some dough quick these days"

"True… Hm?" Blinking once, the man looked around TJ, before he smiled. "Looks like a flock of Corsola is moving in…"

Blinking at that, the silverhead made his way over to the edge, looking around curiously. "Corsola round these parts too huh?"

As TJ said that, a group of pink and white "coral" seemed to be moving in from further in the shoals. From a distance, they looked just like normal pieces of coral, but the moment they popped out of the water a little further, it was revealed that they were actually Pokémon; Corsola.

"It seems that they are attracted to the area here for whatever reason," the captain said. "Their constant movement is another reason why it's not recommended to surf to Sapphire Island."

"Fascinaten…"

The flock of Corsola watched the ship pass for a few moments, before moving along their own way again.

The captain allowed a chuckle, before looking to the two Trainers staring out over the water. "Those two appear to be lost in their own little world, huh?

"Aaah tha travelen minds of tha young on their adventures first steps…jeez Im starten to feel old again…awww slag!"

"Hm?"

Before he could say anything, a young female voice cried out from above "BANZAAAIII!"

Smacking his face to avoid looking, TJ just narrowly missed as his daughter, swung down off the side of the ship right for the water, missing a Corsola's spines by mere inches as she began her swing back up along the side of the deck. "…"

"…Energetic little tyke, that one…" the captain chuckled out.

"Yeah she'd be tha one tha makes me feel old," TJ responded a bit tiredly, looking over just as his daughter began to pull herself up along the rail besides Hiiro.

Holding up her fingers to indicate a few inches, the young girl frowned out but still giggled "Missed her by that much."

Hiiro blinked in surprise, before he chuckled. "You're not gonna catch anything if you go about like that."

"How do ya know it won't work if ya don't try, Hiiry?""

"You just did and you failed, didn't you?"

"Doesn't mean it won't work, just didn't work this time," Ketlin said simply, before nodding towards her father as she pulled herself aboard the ship again. "Should ask Papa how he caught Tom."

"What does that have to do with…?"

"Oiy don' bring tha up it's nothen like wha cha jus did, kitten."

Looking to her father questioningly, Ketlin quirked her eyebrows nodding "How, you jumped on him from a…"

"Ending conversation!"

Hiiro laughed at the 'argument' between the two, before he looked toward the other Trainer curiously when he realized she hadn't moved an inch.

Rolling her eyes, Ketlin blinked to the boy for a moment, then to the Trainer, before leaning in by Hiiro's ear. "…Try an say something!"

"Huh!" Hiiro looked over to Ketlin in surprise. "Wh-what for!"

"Cause she's gonna wanna know why your burning holes in the side of her head"

"I am not!"

"Yes you/cha are," the father and daughter team said in unison, nodding at Hiiro firmly.

"I am n-urgh!" Hiiro cut off his own sentence to clutch at his chest. "Ugh…"

Blinking, Ketlin rubbed at Hiiro's shoulder quickly looking worriedly to the boy. "Hiiry, you alright?"

Taking a few moments to catch his breath, Hiiro nodded shakily. "I'll… I'll be okay… it's nothing…"

"Surely doesn't seem like nothing," the captain said casually, though he had a slight worried tone to his voice.

The silverhead gave a nod, giving Hiiro a slight look that gave the boy the impression of 'something not good' as he crossed his arms with a sigh. "Once we hit land we're taken a trip to get cha to a doc Hiiro jus ta be sure."

Hiiro just frowned at TJ for a few moments… before someone suddenly held out what looked like a piece of chocolate to him. "Huh?" Looking up in surprise, he found himself looking at the very girl who had been leaning against the railing next to him.

"…Here, eat this," she said quietly. "It will help."

Hiiro blinked, twice, before accepting the small piece with a quiet: "Thank you," taking a small bite from the chocolate.

The girl only gave him a small pat on his shoulder and walked away again, Espeon following in suit.

"…" watching her walk off for a moment or two, Ketlin gave the boy's shoulder a smack chuckling. "See shoulda talked to her"

"Would you shush?" Hiiro mumbled around the piece of chocolate, while Eevee was watching the girl and her Pokémon go curiously.

"Hmmm…Nope!"

Before Hiiro could say anything in reply, though…

"Hey… don't be means to him!" A young girl of roughly Ketlin's age decided to make the argument her business. And as the girl spoke, a small serpentine Pokémon slithered along beside her, watching the other Trainers with wide, curious eyes; a Dratini.

"Huh?" Hiiro blinked in surprise at the girl's sudden appearance. "Um… sorry, what?"

Blinking at that, Ketlin gave a frown looking to the girl for a second. "Scuse me…?"

The girl was a little shorter than Ketlin was, and she had her light blue hair tied up in a ponytail atop her head, though she had some darker blue streaks running through her hair, and her eyes were a dark blue hue. She was wearing a loose jeanskirt with a sleeveless white shirt and had a pair of sandals on her feet. One noticeable fact was that she only carried one Pokéball with her, and it was secured as a pendant that rested on her collarbone.

"You's being really mean to him!" the girl huffed, pouting cutely. The Dratini by her side glanced to the girl briefly, before it puffed up its cheeks like the girl was doing.

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Oh boy…" Hiiro murmured.

"Am not infinity by ectoplasma!"

"…huh…?" The girl blinked in confusion. "Ecta-whuh…?"

Sighing at his daughter's remark, the silverhead grumbled out "It's ghost goo…an don pay her much mind she teasen him cause she wants him ta be more…assertive."

"Wha's assative?"

Hiiro chuckled a little bit at the girl's words.

"It means well…"

Cutting her father off quickly, Ketlin gave Hiiro's shoulder a pat piping up "I'm trying to get his guts fired up finally he's like a little match with how not go getty he is."

"And why's that a bad thing?" Hiiro demanded with a frown.

But before Ketlin could respond…

"Haru! Where are you!"

At that, the girl perked up and looked back, and the small Dratini as well. "Daddy!" she chirped, and hurried over to where a man was walking over from, Dratini slithering after rapidly.

The man, obviously the girl's father, had short, wild dark blue hair and a pair of dark blue eyes similar to the girl's. However, he had a scar running from past the right side of his nose, barely missing his right eye. He was donning a dark blue trenchcoat that was split into two in the back, giving the impression that he had a pair of tails, while he wore some light clothes underneath that.

"Ah, there you are… Didn't I tell you to stay close by me?" the man said with a small sigh.

"Sorry, Daddy… but I was just telling hers not to be means to tha boy," she chirped, pointing to Ketlin and Hiiro.

"I am not being mean!"

The man looked up curiously at Ketlin. "I see…" he murmured, though at whom it was directed was a little unclear. Straightening up after lightly patting his daughter on the head, he said: "Sorry if my daughter interrupted you. We'll leave you to your own devices for now."

Hiiro frowned slightly, as though he were thinking, before he gasped a bit and gulped whatever was blocking his throat. "N-no, it's okay, really."

"You sure?" the man asked.

"Yeah."

"Yeah I know tha feelen my daughter can be like tha too sometimes…"

"Papa!"

At that, the man actually allowed a small smirk, before nodding. "Well, good day then," he said, taking his daughter's hand and walking the way he'd come from.

The girl, Haru, toddled after, before looking back to Hiiro and waving brightly. Her Dratini looked back too and waved with its tail before disappearing around the corner as well.

Once they were gone, Hiiro exhaled in relief. "Oh boy…" he managed to get out. "Wasn't… expecting to run into _him_…"

Blinking at that, Ketlin looked to the boy curiously "He famous?"

"Is he famous?" Hiiro repeated incredulously. "He's the Moltres Representative! One of the five strongest Trainers of the Gem Archipelago!"

"Moltres Representatives…"

"In other terms he could be called one of the 'Elite Four' of the Gem Archipelago."

At that, the girl gave a small 'oooh', before blinking out "Why didn't you just say so?"

"I just did, didn't I?" Hiiro grumbled.

"I meant first."

Hiiro snorted and looked out to the waters again… only to blink curiously. "Ah look! There it is!" he exclaimed, pointing ahead. "That's Sapphire Island!"

Looking past the boy, the silverhead and daughter pair gave a look to the distance where he was noting too "Hm?"

The island they were approaching was, needless to say, massive. It had a couple of beaches on a few sides, but for the rest, they were all cliffsides… cliffsides that were died a shining blue color from whatever kind of rock the island was built on. The city built on the island wasn't any less impressive, and yet not a single building stood higher than the massive tower located dead center of the island, its own blue glow seeming to beckon people to come closer.

"…whao…blue…"

Hiiro laughed, and the captain allowed a small chuckle. "Why do you think it is called 'Sapphire Island'? There are some people who claim that the entire island is built on raw sapphires."

Nodding to that, TJ chuckled out "Sure looks it, honestly figured it was jus a normal theme consideren cha regions "gem" aprechio an all tha."

Hiiro merely shrugged. "I suppose so."

"Please tell me there's a Ruby island like this so I can take some?" Ketlin cut in quickly looking to Hiiro almost pleadingly.

At that, Hiiro blinked, before he shook his head. "Sorry… the only city with "Ruby" in it is the one on top of Mt. Ruby."

"Oh better I can get from there."

Hiiro couldn't stop the laugh coming from his mouth. "Sure, if you say so, Ket."

"Ya donno if ya don't try, Hiiry."

* * *

"Mrrr…why is everyplace closed up!" Ketlin growled out in irritation, looking around to the numerous closed shops around them.

"Because everyone's probably heading for the Memorial Service," Hiiro explained. "The people of Sapphire briefly close shop during it so they can attend as well."

"Neerrrts!"

"They'll open again once the Service is over, Kets, so let's hurry before they start without us," Hiiro quipped, starting to hurry along the path.

It wasn't hard finding the right path; the path to the tower was paved with blue stones.

"Decorative," TJ chuckled out, looking along the ground as he took each next footstep along the stone paved road. "Lotta work ta this tha's for sure."

"Woulda been better red," Ketlin added in quickly.

"I'm starting to think 'red' is your favorite color," Hiiro chuckled, just as they passed under a set of cherry blossom trees… with blue blossoms.

"Color of a fiery spirit to send chills up your back, what's not to like about them…even the sakuras?"

Looking to the blossoms in question, TJ quirked an eyebrow plucking a petal "Mineral in tha earth seems ta have a die effect. Seen somethen similar on tha Orange Islands. Could affect Pokémon too…"

Hiiro chuckled. "Yeah, I saw a documentary on that before. Thus far it's only affected plants here, though. Wow…"

Hiiro's sudden exclamation was because of the crowd that had gathered at the foot of the tower. There had to be a little over a hundred people there, if not more, each one carrying a basket of paper lilies with them.

"…Wow…that's alotta lilies…" Ketlin mused out, looking as flabbergasted as the young boy beside her as her father chuckled.

Shaking his surprise off, Hiiro reached down and picked up Eevee, who yipped in surprise. "C'mon! I think it's gonna start soon, let's find a good spot!" he called out, moving further ahead.

"Heheh this is gonna be fuuun!" Ketlin giggled out, hurrying after the boy, her father chuckling after a moment before he gave chase after the pair.

* * *

After a few minutes, the trio found a spot reasonably in front of the crowd, though still a little ways away from the tower. Though it did give them an almost completely clear view of said tower.

The blue glow of the tower came from the protruding blue gems that were embedded in the sides in a very specific pattern. The tower itself had to be at least 12 stories high and perfectly circular, windows lining the walls on every floor, each one covered with light blue glass.

"Wow… I knew it was huge… but esh…" Hiiro murmured.

"Tha's for sure…"

Just as TJ said that, there was the sound of a flute's whistle ringing through the air, instantly silencing everyone and making them turn to the entrance of the tower.

"And so it begins…" Hiiro whispered.

Blinking at that, Ketlin turned to Hiiro with a raised brow "What be…gins?" she muttered, looking to watch as someone was walking out from the tower.

The person stepping forward from within the tower was a man of roughly 30, but his kind expression made it that much harder to pin an exact age to him. His hair was long and dark blue, like the depths of the ocean, waving behind him in the gentle winds as he walked, while his eyes, half-shut as they were, seemed to radiate a mysterious amethyst glow. Dressed in some sort of ceremonial robe, he exhibited a certain air that made it hard not to pay attention to him.

And then he opened his mouth and spoke;

"Welcome… welcome one and all to our yearly Memorial Service here on Sapphire Island. My name is Io Toraine, and I shall be your, I suppose 'host', would be the proper term, for the duration of this Service. Before we begin, I would like to thank you for coming here today, for I know that some of you have traveled great distances to make it here on time, so on behalf of all those who have been laid to rest here, I thank you deeply," he spoke sincerely, actually bowing briefly to the crowd.

Getting a bit bugged eyed, Ketlin was about to say something, maybe at a shout, before her father managed to shush her.

Undeterred, Io stood up straight and took a small breath, before continuing solemnly "…We have gathered here today to, once again, pay our respects to those who lost their lives here long ago during a war which scant few remember the reason for. The war robbed us of many loved ones… not merely Pokémon, but also our human friends… sometimes even our family." Briefly, Io stopped his speech as though remembering, before he continued again. "Try as we may, the dead will never again walk among us on this earth. Their place is no longer on this plane of existence and, as painful as it may be, this is what we must learn to accept."

Crossing his arms watching as Io spoke, the silverhead muttered out quietly "Hmm…interesten speech…this tha norm Hiiro?"

"However…" Io said suddenly, a small smile forming on his face. "Even though they are no longer here physically, they will never die off completely. When anyone, a person, Pokémon, or even plants, die, they will always leave behind a small piece of themselves before they do. Children, grandchildren, and maybe even great-grandchildren. Pupils, teachers, friends, lovers… all these people aid in keeping a dead person among the living through their memories. As long as a person is remembered by those who loved them, they will never truly fade away. The goal of life is not to live forever… it is to create something that _will_."

Hiiro allowed a small smile, while Eevee blinked curiously, cocking his head sideways.

Nodding, TJ gave his own small smile with a light chuckle "Well said…try and keep cha 'flames' toned down kitten…"

Rubbing her neck a bit, Ketlin muttered something along the lines of 'don't worry', though she started to seem a little…'off'.

"To ensure that even after death, our companions will be able to live on through the memories of others… that is why the Memorial Tower exists… as a reminder of those we lost, yet still cherish and hold very dear in our hearts. For even if their names, their presence, is acknowledged by someone, even if by a complete stranger who might have never met them, that is all that everyone really wants from within the depths of their own heart… to be remembered rather than fade away from the earth without a trace."

As those words were spoken, the girl that Hiiro, TJ and Ketlin had seen on the Pandora stood silently, listening intently to the Gym Leader's words. But as he continued, a single tear rolled down her left cheek.

Haru blinked a few times, looking around, before tugging on her father's hand. "Daddy, I don't gets it… why is everyone so sads?"

"I'll explain later, Haru. Now's not the time," her father said quietly, making Haru pout unhappily, with her Dratini copying the expression.

"But not only for that reason does the Memorial Tower exist… It is also meant as a reminder of our past; of the mistakes that we have made, and the lives that it has cost because of our own foolish pride as human beings. To prevent us from making those same mistakes over and over again, we must reflect on the past and always keep in mind that, while Pokémon battles have become a daily routine in our lives, there will always be a losing side. Some may say that those who walk away victorious will come out the strongest… but if one can stand up after being defeated and keep walking with their head high, then it is they who will walk away stronger than ever."

"…I still dun gets it…" Haru murmured.

"If you go on a journey to accomplish something, the journey itself is, often times, more rewarding than actually accomplishing what you set out to do." Bringing his arms up, he tucked his hands into the long sleeves with a mysterious smile. "So too shall the journey of our memories… last for as long as life continues."

With that said, he retracted his hands, producing a simple, but gorgeous flute, made out of a shining silver material.

Shaking her head a bit, the young Pokémon adventuress blinked as she narrowed her eyes to the instrument in Io's grasp. "What's that for?"

"It's for the closing of the service…" Hiiro whispered without looking away, his grip slightly tightening on the small Pokémon in his arms, who yipped a little in surprise, but made no other complaints, too curious himself.

"Closing? Wha is it a song or somethen?" the silverhead asked.

"Just wait…"

Placing the flute to his lips, Io shut his eyes as he took a slow breath, before he began to blow into the flute, his moving fingers creating an enchanting melody with sounds that seemed almost unnatural. As the Gym Leader continued to play, though, a gentle wind picked up…

And it began to grow stronger with each second that passed.

"…amazing…" TJ blinked out, holding his out his hand to feel at the wind as it began to pick up.

As the song played, Ketlin watched curiously herself, but her eyes began to gloss over as Io continued the melody.

No sooner had the duo said so, or a sudden burst of wind rushed passed - plucking paper lilies that everyone had folded from their baskets and into the air, where they unfurled and were sent spiraling all around the people present, before beginning their long, spiraling journey upwards and around the tower. The amazing mix of blue and pink caused the most peculiar patterns to form that only lasted mere seconds before shifting into something else.

"Waaaaii! Pretty!" Haru chirped, hopping on her feet and her eyes almost seeming to sparkle, with her Dratini mewling happily and coiling around the girl's shoulders.

"Alright…this is an impressive get tagether tha's for sure…" the older adventure blinked out, shaking his daughter out of her stupor as she nodded in agreement from her daze.

Hiiro allowed a tender smile. "The journey to the top is more enjoyable than reaching the goal…" he murmured.

The lilies continued ever upward, spiraling around the tower in a whirlwind of pink and blue, with Io's playing continuing to guide them along. And then they coalesced above the tower and spiraled around each other as a giant orb of lilies, before Io finished his tune, causing the 'orb' to burst apart in a flurry of pink and blue. As Hiiro had said the day before, their shape allowed them to float down slowly, before the winds came in and carried them off.

"…never forgotten…" Ketlin muttered out, giving her head another shake as she rubbed her temples.

Seeing his daughter for a moment, the silverhead rubbed the girls back before nodding to Hiiro. "Much longer before everyone can head off?"

Allowing a small smile, Io opened his eyes as he lowered the flute again. "And with that, we have reached the conclusion of our yearly Memorial Service. Thank you all for being here today, and I bid you all a safe journey homeward," he said, bowing once more, before he turned and walked back into the tower.

In response, the people began to walk off, some of them going into the tower as well, whereas others hurried on to return to their stores/homes again.

Hiiro allowed a smile, before setting Eevee back down on the ground again.

"Meer…can we go now…"

Sighing with a small chuckle, the silverhead gave a nod, before giving Hiiro a serious look for a moment "Yeah, we got an appointment with a doctor"

"Oh come o-"

"Daddy! I wanna do that again!" Haru's voice suddenly chirped out, making them look over in time to see the girl tugging on her father's hand.

"Haha… You'll have to wait until next year, Haru," her father said.

"But I wanna see it again nooooow…" Haru cried out with a pout.

Hissing a bit, Ketlin looked over covering her ears as she sighed out "Would you please keep it downs…"

Hiiro blinked curiously, before he asked in worry: "You okay, Ketlin?

"My heads starting to get spinney…"

"Spinney from what?"

Eevee blinked, before toddling over and pawing at Ketlin's leg. "Veeee?"

"It's…nothing I just wanna get out of here…"

"…Sure doesn't look like nothing to me," Hiiro quipped, copying the words of the Pandora's captain.

Giving the boy a look, Ketlin frowned out: "Same goes for you and not going to the doctors, I'll get better when I get outta here."

"You kays?" Haru quipped, suddenly right in front of Ketlin, with her Dratini coiled around her shoulders like a boa.

Glaring to her, Ketlin hissed out angrily "I just have a headache mind your damn business!"

Grabbing his daughters shoulder quickly, the older Adventurer sighed out "Gomen…she gets…upset round these places."

Haru blinked curiously up at TJ as her father walked over. "Huh? What for?"

"Hard to explain…"

Rubbing her head a bit, Ketlin shook her head a few times in her palms, before looking around with a slight groan. "Hiiry…?"

"If you're looking for your friend, he just headed into the Memorial Tower," Haru's father said simply.

"Aw slag…"

* * *

**Haru and her father are copyrighted to my boyfriend.  
Io Toraine is copyrighted to me.  
**


	9. Chapter 8 Sapphire Memorial Tower

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 8: The Sapphire Memorial Tower  
**

* * *

The Memorial Tower was as impressive on the inside as it was from the outside. The floor was paved with the same glowing blue stones that adorned the streets outside, and numerous stone markers were scattered around the floor. A spiral staircase at the back of the room lead the way to the next floor, with the railing a shining blue. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, burning quietly, also a pale blue color. The people present on the current floor were almost deathly silent, either lost in thought, prayer, or otherwise conversing with the few others present.

The blue glow of the room gave off an almost enchanting aura… but there was something… strange about the place.

"'s Your head kay, Ketty?" Haru asked curiously.

"Uugh…frawihn…" was all Ketlin could slur out in response, only managing to remain walking relatively straight by her father's hands on her shoulders.

"Tha would be 'It hurts but I can manage'" The silverhead sighed, rubbing his daughters back as they walked "Wha's with tha bracelets?""

"Protection," Haru's father said, lightly tapping the silver bracelets studded with a single red gem that he wore on both wrists. The small group each had two of them secured around their wrists. "The aura of the Memorial Tower can have a disorienting effect on those entering it without a singular goal. These bracelets cancel out most of the aura from the tower."

"Ugh…aham…mys not worken…to well" Ketlin hissed out as she rubbed her skull, turning into a soft growl as she shook her head

Haru's Dratini mewled curiously, cocking its head, still coiled around Haru's shoulders, though it hummed happily when Haru's father rubbed its head.

"I'm guessing you're a little more sensitive than others when it comes to this, hm?"

Snapping her eyes open suddenly, Ketlin looked to the older man with a near crazed rage look in her eyes as she growled out "Jee ya dont think you…ugh…" Just as quickly as it came, the girl managed to settle down, thanks a little in part to her father giving her shoulder a shake. "Gormahems…"

Haru pouted unhappily, and lightly patted Ketlin's shoulder. "Sorry, Ketty… if you wants, we can go gets your friend alones…"

"Nauh…I'll be alright" The girl managed out shaking her head again as she sighed. "Let's just find Hiiry."

Haru's father nodded slowly, before seeming to remember something. "Ah… I don't think I ever introduced myself. I am Vent. Pleased to meet you."

Nodding, TJ chuckled with a slight sigh "Hey it happens…sides Kitten didn leave a good impression at tha ship, name's TJ."

Haru looked back and forth between the two adults, before toddling over to the stairs. "Hiirooooo!" she called out.

"Haru!" Vent hissed out, making Haru look over curiously. "Don't shout in here. Keep your voice down."

"Aww… but then how're we gonna find him?"

"We go up. There's only one set of stairs per floor, so even if he went back down, we'd run into him."

"Oh… kay."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hiiro slowly blinked his eyes open, shaking his head as he sat up from where he had been lying on his side. Blinking a few times in confusion, he looked around at the blue surroundings, taking in the markers scattered around.

"…Where… where am I…?" he murmured, rubbing his head with a groan. "What… what happened…? How did I…?"

"…You okay?"

At that voice, he looked up to see a young-looking girl in front of him, her silvery bluish-green hair hanging down the side of her face as she watched him with a pair of solemn brown eyes. "I… I think so… just… my head hurts…"

She didn't respond right away, before reaching out and taking his hand, studying his wrist for a moment. "…No bracelet…" she murmured. "Looks like the tower's aura got to you…"

"…Huh?"

"Do you remember your name?"

Hiiro was about to speak, but he snapped his jaw shut almost immediately. "…N…no…"

"I thought so…" she mumbled, standing up and pulling him to his feet. "C'mon… let's get you out of here."

"W-wait…!" he choked out, stopping her from pulling him along. "…I… I don't want to go out…"

"…What?"

"I came in here… for something… but I don't know what…"

She sighed. "So let's go outside so you can remember and then-"

"Please?"

The girl watched him for a moment longer, staring him down silently as he gave her a very impressive puppy dog look, before she sighed heavily. "Okay, fine… let's go up."

"Thank you…"

"…Just stay close, okay?"

"Kay…"

* * *

"Floor 4… and still no sign of him…" Vent murmured. "Just how far up did he get without a bracelet?"

"How far can he get is wha worries me more than jus tha bracelet," TJ sighed out, giving a shrug to fix his grip on his daughter, who he was giving a piggyback ride as she nuzzled her head into his shoulder.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Vent asked, as Haru toddled ahead of them with her Dratini behind her.

"Unfortunately, I think there's a question ta how fit Hiiro is physically, he's had times when his body jus up an gave up on him before…"

"Ah… I see," Vent murmured softly, moving past the numerous markers.

With a slight sigh, the silverhead nodded, looking to the side a bit at the markers as they passed "…all these…"

"Graves," Vent confirmed without looking up. "Most of these are relatively recent, but there's plenty of them from 30 years ago… when the war hit us…

"Naruuahh…dahn…dont say…that word…"

Looking to his daughter briefly, TJ sighed as he looked ahead a bit grimly. "Best ta avoid tha particular three letters for now Vent, it could…'trigger' somethen…ugh where is tha boy."

"He might have gone to see Io," Vent said. "Teach did have a bit of medical education, so he might be able to help a bit."

Blinking a little at that, TJ narrowed his eyes looking vent over a bit. "Teach? Io was cha sensei?"

"Ages ago, yeah…" Vent said, waving it off. "He used to have a Pokémon school on the island before… before the you-know-what happened."

"Oh, guess he was one of tha ones tha got hit bad then huh…hmm"

"Rather… yeah…"

"Daaaaddyyyyy!" Haru called out, hurrying back, with Angie in her arms.

"Gah! Haru! Didn't I tell you-"

"Sorry sorry! But you're never gonna guess who's heres, too!" Haru chirped.

"Hm?"

"Eh? An old friend?"

"I AIN'T OLD!" came a disgruntled cry.

Vent's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing that voice. "A-Amalia?"

"It's a figure of…speech…"

The girl stepping up further into the room, was a girl with long blonde hair, with two small ponytails pulling it into a combined ponytail at the back of her head, and striking green eyes that were currently glaring at TJ as she had her hands placed on her hips. She was dressed in some purple knee-length shorts with a shorter lime green skirt over it, a sleeveless blue shirt with a dark purple vest and some plain blue sandals on her feet.

She had to be about 2, maybe 3 years older than Ketlin, and she carried her six Pokéballs on a belt.

"Its jus a figure of speech no need ta get upset…Um Amalia was it?" TJ blinked out

"Stoooaahp yeeahlens…" Ketlin groaned out, wrapping her hands around her ears as she continued to bury her face into her father's neck*

Amalia blinked in slight surprise, looking over to Ketlin with her head cocked, though her hands were still on her hips. "Huh? Are you okay there?" she asked.

"Ketty is a lil sensitive to the towers," Haru quipped.

"Oh… sorry," Amalia apologized, rubbing the back of her head a little, her frown easing up.

Vent sighed a little. "TJ, Ketlin, this is Amalia. Amalia, these are TJ and Ketlin."

"Hiya," Amalia chirped, waving with a bright smile.

Smiling in return, the silverhead gave a little nod. "Nice meeten cha, erm ketlin would say tha same but…" he shrugged out a bit apologetically.

Amalia cocked her head a little, before asking: "If she's not feeling too good, why's she here?"

"We's looking for their friend!" Haru quipped with a bright smile as Dratini mewled, trying to wriggle from Haru's light grip to reach the other girl.

"Yeah, he kinda ran in here without letten us know, were kinda worried bout em" TJ sighed out, blinking to the small Dratini curiously before shaking his head. "Cha haven seen him, bout yay high, wearen a cap, dark hair."

Amalia blinked twice. "Cap… oh yeah! I saw him come by with a girl. He looked kinda woozy, but they went up together."

Hearing that, the silverhead frowned in worry "Ugh was afraid of tha…"

"It's probably just an effect of the tower," Vent said. "Let's just go."

"I'm coming, too!"

At that, Haru smiled brightly, and her Dratini mewled loudly, making the blonde look over with a smile of her own.

"Hiya, Angie," she quipped, patting the Dragon-type's head.

Vent chuckled a bit as he headed to the stairs. "So how's your mom, Ami?"

The blonde girl hurried after with Haru. "She's doing okay. She said she had some challengers, but no one got the badge yet."

"Not surprised."

"Yeah!" Haru chirped. "Mommy is the best Leaders!"

Blinking in surprise, the silverhead looked between the girls and then to Vent curiously "Leader? Wait a second these two are sisters, an their mother's…?"

Ami and Haru shared a proud grin before turning to TJ and quipping at the same time: "Mommy is one of the Leaders of Crystal Island!"

Vent laughed. "Yeah, she is. And she's one of the more difficult ones to tackle; Zienna of Crystal. Maybe you heard of her before…"

"Z-GAL!"

At that shout, both Ami and Haru yelped in surprise, while Vent looked at TJ with a raised eyebrow. "You know her?"

"Big time, we're ol friends, so cha tha guy she meet with huh…eash go figured I meet Z-gal's kids on this way…and tha one would yell at me," TJ muttered out giving a small look towards Ami

"I said sorry!" Ami huffed.

Vent allowed a small smile, before shaking his head. "Anyway, we'll discuss that later. Let's go find your friend first."

"Agreed" TJ nodded out, blinking as Ketlin let out another little hiss. "An double time it…"

* * *

"…What's… with the air here?" Hiiro managed to get out groggily, stumbling after the girl.

"…They say it's the souls of the dead," the girl said softly, lightly holding onto his hand. "Supposedly, their thoughts linger here and cause the appearance of Ghost Pokémon."

"…Ghosts… do they… attack humans?"

"They shouldn't… but stay close, just in case."

"…Yeah, kay…"

The girl was silent, moving ahead quietly with Hiiro right behind her. After a few moments, though, she murmured: "We're almost there."

"…Kay…"

* * *

"Floor number 8!" Amalia chirped as she stepped out onto the floor.

"Ugh, I'm getten to old for stairs with a heavy load," TJ sighed as he followed on up a bit sluggishly, giving his daughter another shift as he adjusted his grip "how much further could he have…"

"…Four more floors… given that he made it up to the top," Vent murmured.

Ami looked back to TJ for a minute, before she said: "I can get a ride for her if you want," patting one of her Pokéballs.

Shaking his head, the silverhead gave a little smile "It's alright, closer I am better chances I got on helpen her keep control from tha residue infection."

"Infection? Is she sick?"

"Its wha we call what.s happenen ta her," TJ shrugged "cause of her empathic abilities she's sensitive ta places like this. Cause of all tha 'emotional energy' tha got absorbed ta here, like pollen or dusts, act like a residue, she sucks it up way to easily. So kinda acts like an infection."

"Oh…"

Vent seemed to consider that, before asking: "So she doesn't handle spiritual apparitions too well, huh?" Before TJ could answer, though, he hummed in thought. "Hm… that…might be problematic…"

Haru blinked a little, but didn't question it and kept going.

"oh please tell me theres no spooks around here…specially from tha…cha know wha"

Before Vent could respond, Amalia suddenly spun around and stomped her own shadow. "Out! Get outta my shadow right now!" she snarled out angrily.

In response, her 'shadow' yowled and zipped away, leaving her normal shadow, a much lighter one, behind as it rushed about the room.

"Oh, good jus Ghost types…well they can still give her an issue on tha normal but…"

"You're not gonna catch hims, Sissy?" Haru asked.

"Nah. I aready got a Gastly, so I can't have a Gengar," Amalia quipped with a small shrug.

"A gast? Oh boy Ket's gonna like cha when she's normal…" the silverhead muttered taking a look around. "Ugh…still starten ta feel a bit some wha Ketlin's feelen now up here…"

Haru lightly blew her bangs away. "I wish I could go on a journeys…"

"You'll have to wait a few more months, Haru," Vent said casually.

"Booo…"

"So cha big one zip birthdays in a few months huh Haruchi?"

"Uh huh… wish it was already, thoughs…"

"Eash cha sound jus like kitten now" TJ sighed out as he leaned his head to rub at his shoulder a bit ""ugh always when cha cant scratch…"

"Bear with it for a little longer," Vent said as he moved up the stairs. "We're almost there."

"Thank Arceus…"

* * *

"Here we are… the roof…"

The roof was, to say the least, different from the interior, as only the edge of the railing was covered in blue rocks, and a single, but massive pillar stood in the very center of it. The aura that had filled the rooms of the tower had gone, leaving only a soothing breeze to blow over them, paper lilies lightly floating around them before disappearing into the air again.

"…wow…" Hiiro managed to get out, smiling as he looked around slowly, trying to turn on his heel to follow a lily… and collapsed.

"Saw that coming…" the girl murmured, having managed to catch him before he hit the ground. "Everyone has their limits, after all…"

"Rachel? I was not expecting to see you here," said a calm voice, making the girl look up.

"Good day, sir," the girl said, pulling the boy up and moving over, dragging him with her. "I wasn't really planning to be here, I admit, but this boy really wanted to come up here. But I don't think he was aware of the bracelet's dispelling effect."

"Ah," Io nodded out. "Well, we may as well fix that. Could you bring him over here?"

"Yes sir," Rachel said with a nod, moving over as Io pulled out a small, round tin, spinning it open.

* * *

"Made it!" Ami chirped, hopping out onto the roof.

"Uugh…" the young Shonen groaned out, starting to shake herself awake again as she began to look around "Huwh…where…are we?"

"The roof, Ketlin," Vent said casually.

"Whew, fresh air always helps" The silverhead chuckled out, starting to ease his daughter back to the floor as he steadied her "Better?"

"Ugh…little…so much…" Shaking it off Ketlin grumbled "Where the Moltres is Hiiry at…"

Haru looked back and forth, blinking curiously, before she chirped: "Oh! There he is!"

Said boy was leaning up against the pillar's side, with Sapphire's Gym Leader crouched in front of him, carefully smearing some sort of cream into the skin of his face, with the girl they had met on the Pandora watching from a small distance. The boy seemed to be unconscious from a distance.

Blinking at that for only a second, TJ gave a yelp as his daughter rushed over to the trio "Gak, kitten."

"HIIRY!"

The girl barely looked up as Ketlin came running over, but Io turned to face the girl. "He's alright, little one," he said calmly. "Just weary from the trip without a Ruby Bracelet."

Upon close inspection, it was obvious that the boy was merely asleep, breathing lightly.

"Merr, I'm not worried, I'm angry with him, hey wake up so I can yell at you!" Ketlin growled out, crossing her arms

"Getting angry is not going to help, Ketlin," Vent said as he moved over with Haru and Ami.

Io didn't bother and merely smeared some more cream on the boy's visible skin. And the girl just kept watching quietly.

Amalia looked at Hiiro for a moment, before she asked: "Is he gonna be alright?"

"Yes," the Gym Leader said casually. "He just needs to rest for a few moments."

"Vent said cha a good medic, spot anythen ta worry bout Hiiro here we should know bout?" TJ said, kneeling down to take a look at the boy himself frowning. "Boy cha like getten us on edge…"

"From what I can see…" Io said quietly, moving aside the boy's cap. "He has a slightly weaker heart than others… but that might just be because he has no stamina built up. Judging from his skin tone, he's been cooped up inside for most of his life."

"Fraid of tha…"

Grumbling, Ketlin continued to watch as Io attended to Hiiro as she frowned out "Merr…"

"He should be fine, given that he keeps calm and doesn't do anything too exhausting," Io said, rising to his feet after closing the small tin of cream he had been holding.

"Good then I can bop him when he's up."

Sighing a bit with a chuckle, TJ just waved it off to the rest of the group "She doesn like haven ta worry don mind it."

"Papa!"

Io merely smiled quietly, turning to the girl and leaning down on his knees. "Well, I can say this; he is very lucky to have a friend like you," he said sincerely.

Ketlin blinked at that, blushing a little as she turned her gaze away muttering "I'm…he just got me mads I had to go through this place and it gave me a big headache an we still gotta go back down. I'm taken shortcut out of here when he gets back up!"

The Gym Leader merely smiled at her, before standing up and seeming to notice Vent. Once he realized who he was looking at, he actually blinked. "Oh? Vent, it's been a while."

"Hey, Teach," the Representative said with a polite nod. "Yeah, it's been a while… too long."

Haru blinked curiously, but Ami merely smiled brightly, rocking back and forth on her feet.

"Oh, right. I'd like you to meet Amalia and Haru," Vent added, gesturing to the two girls in front of him. "They're Zienna and my daughters."

At the introduction, Haru smiled and waved happily. "Hiiii!"

"Ohayo!" Amalia quipped with an equally cheerful smile and wave.

"Charming," Io said with a small smile. "Yes… I can see the resemblance quite well. You've certainly grown up fast, Vent."

"I suppose I have…" Vent murmured, though there was something more to his tone.

"What's with the delay you secretly taking Wailord drinks to make you grow or something?" Ketlin blinked up a bit to Vent.

"Kitten…"

Vent seemed to consider responding, but eventually shook his head. "This isn't the best place to explain… Teach, could you give Ketlin and Hiiro a lift back down?"

"Of course," Io said with a smile, before placing two fingers in his mouth and releasing a rather quiet whistle.

TJ's ear gave a wiggle at the whistle, narrowing his eyes as he looked around.

A few moments later, a gust of wind made them look up, just as a Pidgeot touched down lightly on the roof, tucking its wings back and shaking its head briefly before cawing lightly to Io as the Gym Leader approached.

"Pidgeot, I require you to take these two young ones back to the Pokémon Center so that they can rest. Could you do that for me?" he asked kindly as he caressed the side of the Pidgeot's head.

"Pidgeooo," the large bird cawed softly with a nod, before crouching down lower to allow Ketlin to climb up.

The girl from before pulled Hiiro up and placed him on the bird's back.

Hopping up quickly, Ketlin sighed out a bit sounding a little more at ease as she held Hiiro in place "If you fall off I'll bop you twice when you get up again."

Io allowed a small chuckle, then lightly patted the Pidgeot's neck, before stepping back as it opened its wings and took off.

"Now tha's how ta travel," TJ chuckled out

Ami giggled. "I can fly us down, too!" she chirped, pulling out a Pokéball.

"Oh we'll be fine, Ami," Vent chuckled. "You can give TJ a ride down."

"Okiday!"

"Well really don' need it, be lot better headen down now tha Ket's not on my back anymore…buut hey who am I ta pass tha offer up?"

"Yay! Pamela! Come on out!" Ami called out, tossing the Pokéball up, which burst open and allowed a Pidgeotto to pop out with a loud squawk. "She's not a big as Io-san's Pokémon… but she's strong enough to get us down!"

"I could tell" The silverhead chuckled, rubbing a hand along the Pidgeotto's wing shoulders gently "Well raised up cha are huh girl?"

The Pidgeotto, nicknamed Pamela, squawked briefly, flapping her wings briefly, even as Ami climbed on her back.

Hopping up behind the girl, the old Pokémon adventurer chuckled out "Hi ho silver feathers away! Heheh, always wanted to try tha joke."

"Let's goooo!" Ami chirped as the Pidgeotto kicked off and flew off with a loud cry.

Haru watched her sister go before she pouted. "Why can't I have epic Pokémons like that, too?"

At those words, Angie blinked curiously, cocking her head curiously, looking at Haru with her head cocked. Vent, however, merely smiled. "Such Pokémon need to be _earned_, Haru. You can't just get them like that."

"Booo…"

Vent allowed a chuckle before he turned to Io, who was standing by the edge of the tower, looking out over the island. "Oh, Teach? Ami's probably going to go for the Gym Challenge once she's dropped off TJ."

"Is that so?" Io murmured, seemingly lost in thought. "Well… then I suppose I should get ready, then."

Vent said nothing to that as he pulled out one of his Pokéballs, watching as Io walked away quietly. As he walked past the pillar in the center though, a light burst of wind made them look up for a moment. And as they returned their attention to the roof… Io was already gone…

* * *

"…nrgh…" Hiiro groaned, holding his head as he sat up. "Ow… my head…"

"It's about to get worse move your hand, Hiiry!"

"…No, I'd rather not…" Hiiro mumbled.

Ketlin growled, crossing her arms in a huff as she leaned back into her seat, looking down to Hiiro obviously less then pleased. "You ran offs without telling anyone, ended up knocking yourself out and worse I had to go through the whole tower too!"

"…?" Hiiro blinked slowly and looked over from under his cap. "…Wha…?"

Sighing, the girl pointed around, showing them within the Pokémon Center as she growled "Io said your heart's kinda weak and didn't have alotta use to doing a lot that's why you keep doing that dumb pass out thing. And without those bracelets it can hurt up the tower…worse for people like me…"

"…The tower…? When did I…?"

"Right after the lily things…"

"…I went into the tower…?" Hiiro murmured, frowning in thought.

"You should relax, your memory might be a little fuzzy right now."

At that, Hiiro looked over in surprise. "You're…?"

The girl from before sipped her drink quietly, before she looked up, her Espeon resting with its head on her lap. "Name's Rachel. Pleasure."

"Oh… Um, yeah, pleased to meet you. I'm Hiiro," the boy managed to get out.

Seeing Hiiro's reaction, the other girl grinned out "He's had a crush on you since he first saw you, ya know?"

"Ketlin!"

Rachel, however, remained passive. "Uh-huh…"

"Well you should have moved your hands for a bop then" Ketlin grinned out in responds, blinking a little at Rachel's reaction…or lack thereof. "…"

Rachel remained quiet and just sipped her drink, absently sipping her drink.

Hiiro grumbled softly, before glancing to Espeon. "…That's… quite an unusual color fur that your Espeon has."

At that, Rachel glanced over, and lightly petted the sleeping Pokémon. "It's a birth defect," she said simply. "It happens, and while humans often favor them over the normal colored species, in nature, they're usually abandoned because of it."

"You never heard of 'shiny' Pokémon, Hiiry?"

"'Shiny'?"

"…That's what people call them, yes," Rachel said simply.

"Papa said first ones like Espeon over there had a very bright and shiny coat when someone saw them, so they called them shiny types."

"Oh…" Hiiro nodded softly. "So I guess they're really rare?"

"Roughly 1 in 3.000.000 Pokémon born in the world is born 'shiny', and that's with some generous rounding," Rachel replied after sipping her drink.

"Yike… rare indeed…"

"Rare ta see a kid who knows tha math on tha fact" came the voice of Ketlin's father, as he walked over carrying a cup of water for his daughter and Hiiro. "Feelen better there Hiiro?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm okay… my head just aches a little…" Hiiro said with a small nod.

Rachel didn't even bother to comment and merely finished her drink wordlessly.

Ketlin looked over a bit, eyeing Rachel curiously but shook her head and gulped up her cup quickly

"Easy kit cha'll give chaself an upset stomach."

Hiiro was quiet as he sipped his own drink, seeming to think about something, before adjusting his cap again. "…"

"…Don't try to remember, it'll just aggravate your head," Rachel said simply.

"Ugh… I noticed…"

"You're lucky to forget, Hiiry."

"Huh?"

Shaking her head, Ketlin muttered something along the lines of 'never mind', getting up quickly as she began to stretch her limbs out. "Merrr…"

Checking the clock on the wall, Rachel seemed to consider things, before she put her glass on the table and kicked off her sneakers before turning her body to lay down on the couch she was on, adjusting Espeon's position without waking it. Without so much as a word to the others, she shut her eyes.

Blinking, Hiiro looked up to the clock and whistled. "Wow… it's late, isn't it?"

"Cha two were pretty drained by tha place" TJ shrugged out with a small chuckle, patting the boy's shoulder as he sighed out "Hiiro, try an take everythen at an easy pace, kay? Avoid strainen chaself…specially if cha end on cha own again."

"Yeah, I know… though I'd do a lot better if I didn't have to get excited over every little thing…"

As he was about to respond, the silverhead winced a bit, after his daughter snuck in a whack to Hiiro's head as she began to walk off for the exit of the center. "Erm yeah easier said than done…"

"Ow…" Hiiro winced, rubbing the back of his head.

Just as Ketlin opened the door, though, a most peculiar sound echoed through the air that had Hiiro bolting to his feet. "Wait… that sound was-!"

Blinking, looking to the side towards his daughter then back to the boy, TJ muttered out "What?"

"You gotta see this! C'mon!" Hiiro called out, hurrying to the exit, pulling TJ along as he went.

Calling for Hiiro to slow doan and take it easy, the silverhead grabbed his bag, fiddling with something inside as he chased after the boy "Oiy what?"

Once they stood outside, Hiiro stopped and pointed to the sky. "Look!"

As TJ looked up, it was in time to see several dozen of brightly colored streaks moving through the air, shining every color of the rainbow, accompanied by a mysterious mewling sound that was almost like singing. As the streaks moved through the heavens, sparkles of colored stardust seemed to rain down upon the city.

Eyes lighting up in excitement, the silverhead whipped out a small, somewhat 'jumbled' assembly of a camera starting to take shots quickly. "Now tha's a sight!"

Blinking herself, Ketlin frowned squinting a bit to the spectacle above. "What was…"

Smiling, Hiiro said: "Ket, you have a Dex, right? Why don't you aim it at them?"

Shrugging, the girl easily slide her PokéDex out into her grip from her pocket, aiming it skyward towards the speckles of light that were littering the sky. "Hey Dexy what is it?"

What the Dex said to that was something that was definitely unexpected…

"**_Mewtwo. A genetic Pokémon. A vicious psychic Pokémon created by genetic engineering. Its cold, glowing eyes strike fear into its enemy. However, due to a recent breeding project at the GAPR, its viciousness appears to have lessened considerably._**"

Hearing the news, the Shonens' eyes went wide "WHAT?"

Hiiro laughed at their expressions. "Didn't see that coming huh?"

"Not tha least…" the silverhead muttered

"Yeah, I mean sure he was grumpy but vicious?"

The boy didn't respond to that and merely looked up as the streaks of light continued onward. After a moment, he said: "I guess they're going back home…"

Frowning a bit at that, the silverhead put his camera back to his bag, looking to the boy questioningly. "When did they start appearen around here Hiiro?"

"Hmm… I think it was about… 25 years ago."

"Twenty five…" TJ blinked in disbelief, before chuckling with a shake of his head "Always expect a miracle with these Pokémon …"

Shaking her head as she pocketed her PokéDex, the young girl began to walk off without a second glance or word to her father or traveling companion.

Watching her go, Hiiro turned to TJ for a moment. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Yeah, she should jus need a while to burn out wha's left in her from tha tower…" the older adventurer sighed, shaking his head as he nodded for the Center. "She probably won't be back till tha morning, let's jus take it easy for now"

"Oka-"

"Mew."

At that, Hiiro tensed and whipped around, but a small flash of light was all he caught. "…What the…?"

"…oh sure jus as I put tha camera down…lill teasers."

* * *

**Amalia is copyrighted to me.  
**


	10. Chapter 9 Sapphire Caverns

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 9: The Sapphire Caverns**

* * *

"You need six Pokémon to enter?" Hiiro asked curiously of the blonde girl who was happily nomming on her breakfast; which was a small stack of pancakes covered in sugar.

"Hmhmm!" Amalia chirped, before she swallowed the bite she had in her mouth. "You have to beat all of Io-san's Pokémon to get the badge, so he made it a rule to have 6 Pokémon with you before coming in."

Nodding to that as he took a sip of coffee, and coughing a bit after he gulped it down, the silverhead cleared his throat a bit "So, Hiiro an Kitten will need ta make another side trip, wheres tha nearest batch of wilds usually at?"

"There should be some fields just outside the city to look around," Hiiro said as he took a sip from his drink. "Plus there's a cave a little further down the road with a few Rock and/or Ground types lurking about. It used to be a prime mining spot for sapphires a long time ago. It was exhausted about 20 years ago, though."

"Twenty years huh…"

"Yeah, most of them were eventually used for the Memorial Tower, and the spares were placed along the road, as you saw yesterday," Hiiro said, before taking a bite from his sandwich.

"I see, tha works out a bit then…if kitten ever comes back soon tha is…"

"I suppose… So what are you doing next, Amalia?" Hiiro asked finally.

"I'm heading to Crystal to challenge mom… I'm prolly not gonna win on the first try, though…" Amalia admitted with a small pout.

"Heh, definitely so if Z's even half as good as she used ta be," TJ chuckled, reaching over to ruffle the girls head. "When cha see her, tell 'er ta expect 'the old ninetails' soon."

The small girl blinked curiously, before she nodded. "Kay. If you say so."

"She'll understand don' worry."

Amalia cocked her head, before shaking it off and hopping off of her seat. "Well, I better go. Oh, and you might want to get a good Water type, too. There's no ferry to Crystal Island from here."

"Ah, okay. Thanks for the tip," Hiiro said with a smile.

"Ja ne!" she chirped, hurrying off with a wave.

Waving back, the older adventurer sighed, blowing some steam from his cup before finishing the last of his coffee. "Aachk…smooth."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, coffee's my favorite type so it's a lill hard ta swallow for some."

"If you say so…" Hiiro said with a shrug, finishing off his drink. "…Hmm…"

Looking to the boy questioningly, TJ muttered out "Somethen on cha mind?"

"Just curious about whether the Mewtwo made it…" the boy confessed. "They probably had a lot of little ones with them, after all, so I'm a bit worried it might have been too much of a trip for them."

"Mewtwo's power is devastaten, even when young," the silverhead muttered, looking the window in thought. "I doubt there's much ta worry about for em…"

"Still…"

"Still for me though, Hiiro" TJ added quickly, looking to the boy "is it common ta see Pokémon tha didn't exist tha long ago flourishen for tha past few decades?"

"Huh? I don't… oh, look. Ketlin's back."

"Imma fraid ta look…"

Walking a bit, looking a bit of a mess through the doorway, Ketlin looked up to where her father and traveling companion sat, blowing her bangs from her face, along with a few scraps of leaves and grass from their tip as she walked over "Ugh…food" without much else to say, the girl leaned down, quickly taking a bite of the pancake from Hiiro's fork.

"You alright, Ketlin?"

Sighing, the girl slumped down next to her father looking to the ceiling. "I'm a lot better now"

"Okay…" After a moment of thought, he said: "Oh, um… apparently we need 6 Pokémon for the next Gym."

"Oh you got to be…"

Shaking his head, the girl's father chuckled "Fraid not kitten"

Shrugging his shoulders a bit, Hiiro added: "Well, we can find some outside of the city in the fields. And we can also check the caverns."

"Ami suggested we snag a water type too, no ferries to Crystal after this."

Frowning, the girl sighed rubbing her head. "I should have stayed wild…"

"Huh?"

"Nothing"

* * *

The fields outside of the city appeared to be basic enough, with the exception of the occasional blue leafed tree. At certain parts, even the grass was dyed blue. If you paid close attention, you could hear the numerous Pokémon scurrying about in the area, and sometimes you could catch a glimpse of them in the grass.

Further off, the grass suddenly stopped, leading out to the mouth of a cave entrance, the depths a pitch black and not the least bit inviting.

"Good thing I bought a flashlight before coming out here…" Hiiro murmured absently.

"Scared of tha dark, Hiiry?" Ketlin giggled, hopping from a stone to glance around "Hm, guess I could use the help of a water type…where's those corals…"

Shaking his head, the silverhead gave Hiiro's back a pat. "Well cha choices gonna be plenty in there kid, wha cha looken for?"

Humming in thought, Hiiro pulled out his flashlight and tapped it against his cheek. "Well, thus far I have Dark, Normal, Flying, Water, Ground… I guess either Grass of Fire… but I'm not sure if those are around here…"

"Might have a Torcoal in there," Ketlin pointed out, kicking a pebble to bounce against the cave wall.

"Maybe…" Looking to Ketlin, he asked: "You going to look out here, then?"

"Yeah, without Marine I don't have a water type and would balance my team a little bit," the girl shrugged, before glancing a bit to Hiiro, narrowing her eyes. "That, and…"

"Huh…?"

Rearing her arm back, the girl swung, narrowly avoiding hitting Hiiro's cheek, but seemed to gain a 'yelp' from something behind the boy. "These guys are still following me." She sighed, holding the tongue of a purple specter Pokémon, shaped like a spiked triangle with two three pronged clawed hands floating about

"Haauuuuuunt!"

"Wh-wha?"

Yanking the Haunter to look it in the eyes, Ketlin growled out "Leave, me, alone!" before releasing its tongue. Watching the ghost type rub its pink appendage before floating away, fading from visibility.

"Why did…?"

"They can sense her sensitivity," TJ said simply, patting Hiiro's shoulder and nodding to the cave "Come'on, let's go."

"Huh? Oh, right…" Hiiro nodded and followed after.

* * *

Once inside the caverns, it became very obvious why Hiiro was glad to have brought a flashlight; because there was no other source of light at all. Cables hung overhead that may have once served to power lamps or other light sources, but they'd been disconnected in the most crude way; by cutting the cable. The place was dark, damp, and it gave off a rather spooky aura.

"So dark and damp…" Hiiro murmured, lightly moving his flashlight and casting its beam of light about them. "Fighting a wild Pokémon in here is going to be difficult…"

"Other Trainers would sometimes use these cases as a tactical advantage," the silverhead said, reaching up to feel a bit along the cables hanging overhead. "It's a good way ta train too, helps cha understand what Pokémon who get blinded go through an helps cha an them overcome it."

"I suppose so… but this can get a bit dangerous…" the boy mumbled. "If I remember correctly, there's several gaps around from the actual excavation days… and they lead out to the sea."

"Hm, shoulda told kitten tha…" TJ sighed rubbing his head as he looked around. "Great…guess I might need ta have Oni out…"

Hiiro blinked a little, but chose not to respond and started moving forward slowly.

To say that it was quiet was the understatement of the year. The only sound in the caverns was their own steps as they moved about slowly.

"Ugh, haven been in a cave this quiet since I was six…" the silverhead sighed out, hissing a bit after bonking his head into a low lamp light as he snarled "Grr…Oni come out…"

With the rustle of TJ's bag, a beam of red light shot out like a chaotic thunderbolt before zipping back for the bags owner, materializing just in time to smack into his face. The Pokémon, small and light purple, near pink, appeared a cross between a scorpion and a flying squirrel, a tongue hanging out loosely from its lips in a cheeky grin. "Gligar!"

"Whuh?"

Growling, the silverhead snatched the Gligar's tail, effectively plucking the combination Pokémon off his face as he sighed "Hiiro, Oni."

Waving its little pincer, the ground flying type gave a snirky little 'gli' in greetings.

"Um… hi?"

"Never seen a Gligar before?"

"Not one that pounces its Trainer like that, no," Hiiro admitted.

"Yeah well he really likes to surprise people by glompen their face, even more than most, tha's why I call em Oni."

Grinning at that, the Gligar snatched onto his Trainer's wrist, freeing his tail and crawling his way up onto his shoulder. "Gligar gli!"

"Ah. I see."

Before TJ or Oni could say anything, though, a massive explosion shook the cave, the rumbling ground sending both Trainers to the ground with yowls of surprise.

"What the?"

"Ugh my tail…" the silverhead hissed out looking around "Tha hell was…"

"I'm not… sure…" Climbing back to his feet, Hiiro seemed to think, before he paled and ducked, just as a flurry of motion rushed by over his head with terrified squeals. "But whatever it was… it definitely has the Zubat spooked."

Keeping his head low enough to avoid the Zubat swarm, the silverhead snatched at Hiiro's shoulder, helping the boy up as Oni climbed to the top of his head "Better have a look though"

"Yeah…"

Moving along the cave's passage, there was very little to see (mostly because it was so dark), but the little they could see was not too pretty. Several stalactites had dropped down from the their perch on the ceiling. Numerous Geodude were scattered around the floor, knocked off from their own perches because of the shock. The only reason they could be seen was because they were groaning and

rubbing their heads with pained expressions on their faces.

"Jeez wha a mess…" The silverhead sighed, slowing down a bit to give a look over the knocked down head like stone types "wonder tha tunnels are still standing"

"No kid-"

KABOOM!

"Ack!"

Steadying himself and the boy, TJ snarled out looking around. "…Systematic…this isn' looken natural someone's blasten down here"

"Yeah… but for what? This place was exhausted from minerals long ago…"

Frowning, TJ began to walk ahead, giving a small whistle, causing Oni to give a confirmation before the ground type began to glide between the still hanging stalactites to look ahead "a few possible reasons come ta mind…"

Hiiro blinked a bit, before moving ahead again. "I'm not sure I want to find the source, but we don't have much choice, do we?"

"If it keeps up all tha Pokémon in here will be seriously hurt"

"Yeah, I figured…

"Gligar gli!"

"Hm?"

"He's found somethen," TJ said simply, moving a bit quicker towards where Oni had flown off

"Wait for me!" Hiiro called out, hurrying after.

* * *

"Da hell's wrong wit you idiots!" shouted a pissed off man to the masked people that were now huddling in fright at his screamed words. "Ya tryin' ta get us all killed before we get dat damn orb? Wha if ya blew up the damn ting with ya damn bombs!"

"B-but s-sir… it was y-your…"

"Shaddap and git back ta work! We need dat damn orb!" the man roared, causing the men to yowl and rush back to their spots.

Crouching low besides some stones and stalagmites, TJ moved his arm up, catching Oni as the Ground/Flying type landed back on it to scuttle onto his shoulder. "These guys…?"

Hiiro looked out from behind the rocks as well and frowned. "Team Aether… what are they doing here?"

Oni gave a growl, tucking his tongue away as he glared to the masked men. "Gligar gli gar gli…"

"Orb?" TJ blinked out, looking to his Pokémon curiously. "Wha kinda orb?"

"Orb?"

"Gligar," was the purple Pokémon's response, shrugging his shoulder wings simply.

The admin that was commanding the squad of Team Aether goons was almost twice as bulky as the admin they had seen in Amethyst. His coat had a fur-lined collar and the mask on his face covered half of his face, and a scytheblade jutted from the side similar to the one on an Absol's head. His shoulder length hair was a dark color, though the exact color was hard to determine in the darkness of the cave.

"Grrr… Bossman's gonna skin our hides if we mess dis up…" the man grumbled, clenching a fist briefly - right before punching sideways, drilling his arm elbow-deep into the wall with the force of the punch.

"Erk!" Hiiro choked out.

Holding Hiiro's shoulder to calm him, the silverhead grumbled as he frowned out "Guy's as strong as an old friend of mine from tha elite four back in Kanto…ugh least their steadyen off tha bombs for now…"

"What do we…?"

But before Hiiro could finish…

"SABLE! SABLEYE!" came a shout from behind them.

"Gah!"

The admin's head snapped up before he whipped around toward the sound. "Who's dere!"

"…slag…" the silverhead growled out lowly, frowning in thought as he tried to think of something quick.

But before he could, a sudden force slammed into his and Hiiro's back, sending them skidding forward with surprised cries, even as the Pokémon responsible for that dashed to stand beside the admin, grinning at them evilly, its gem-like eyes glittering; a Sableye.

"Uugh, sneaken little…" TJ hissed out, picking up Oni and helping Hiiro to his own feet again as he pulled his own self back up. "Wha's tha big idea of blowen a part tha inside of these caves?"

The admin took his time to answer, seeming to measure up the duo for a moment, before a grin just as menacing as the Sableye's nearly split his face in half. "I dun tink I hafta ansa dat. In fact, I tink you're da ones who should be explainin' why ya here. We got permission ta excavate here, after all."

"Excavate? But there's nothing here!" Hiiro cried out. "This place has been emptied out years ago!"

"Uh-huh, sure sure," the admin yawned out.

Clearly, he was quickly losing interest in them.

"I doubt cha'd have much permission if the ones who 'gave' it too cha knew cha are seriously hurten tha Pokémon around here…"

"Ah shaddap, ya old man," the admin quipped with a wave of his hand. "Why don' ya jus' get goin' before ya hurt yaself tumblin' over rocks?"

"Old…man," the silverhead snarled out for a moment, his eyebrow twitching before he scuffed a bit with a grin, shrugging his shoulders dismissively to the admin. "Well, if I'm tha old man, guess tha makes cha tha two bit third rate gangster punk wannabe huh punky? Oh, wait guess tha means cha warning me about trippen over tha stones in cha skull then thanks for tha warnen"

"…You tink ya funny?" the admin growled out slowly, before his grin returned. "Well den… why dun we settle dis right now an' be done wit it?"

"Erk! TJ… maybe we should just-"

"Sure thing," the silverhead frowned out, putting his bag down as he gave Oni a nod, the Ground/Flying type hopping off easily "Been a while since I've been a teacher, I'll try to school cha in manors, but cha'll probably have more F's then a stutteren Fearow"

"TJ, no!" Hiiro hissed out, trying to pull the older Trainer back. "We should-"

"Hiiro…" TJ said quietly, his eyes locking with the admin sternly as he spoke "They're gonna hurt tha Pokémon in here, I can' leave with them in danger…"

"But…"

"Finished?" the admin chuckled out icily.

The admin's Sableye chuckled as well, skittering forward with its own grin seeming to radiate pure white in the darkness.

"Hiiro, cha never asked wha "jack-mac" meant," TJ said simply, nodding as Oni took flight landing in front of the grinning Dark and Ghost type with a snarl. "Let's rock, pebblebrains."

"Heehehehehehehehehe!" the admin laughed out, which, apparently, was more than enough for the Sableye as it rushed forward before the Gligar could respond, smashing its paws into the side of Oni's head.

"Gli!" The ground/flying type yelped out, stumbling a bit as its body twitched from the aftereffects of the attack "gaarrr"

Sableye chortled as Oni stumbled like that, grinning evilly.

"Jee I'm impressed tha two bits Pokémon can use moves that aren its default elements. Oni, kick up tha beat."

Shaking out of the flinching effects, Oni kicked off the ground, spiraling through the air sharply as he passed the Sableye, snagging its neck with his tail as he flipped, knocking the Dark/Ghost type into the floor below head first. "GLI!"

However, the Sableye merely yanked its head back up, smacking its own head to recover from getting his head 'flattened', looking back up to the Gligar. The grin that appeared on its face seemed almost creepier than usual as a light blue energy began to form around its fist, along with steam. But Oni wasn't given the chance to respond as Sableye leaped forward and smashed its fist forward, the Ice energy surrounding it rushing outward toward the Ground/Flying type.

"Tunnel!"

Just as the attack was in reach, Oni's claw smashed into the ground kicking up dirt and rock, as it cleared the only thing in the Ice punch's effect range was bits of stone an rubble, frozen besides a hole along the ground.

"Pff… please. You tink tha'll help?"

Sableye looked at the hole for a moment, before leaping down after Oni.

The silverhead crossed his arms, giving a few light whistles under his breath, watching as Oni began to burst out of the ground, up into the ceiling with the Sableye gaining on its stinger, before repeating the process by smashing back into the ground.

Hiiro bit his lip as he watched the two Pokémon go back and forth.

"GLI!" the ground/flying type shouted as it was knocked up out of the earth again, the Sableye finally catching up to the other duel type in its last dive as he stumble along the ground to shake it off. "Garrr!"

Growling a bit himself, the silverhead tightened his grip on his arm frowning. "Dammit…"

Sableye screeched as it smashed down on Oni's back, keeping the other Pokémon grounded, cackling ominously while using its claw to shove Oni's head into the ground.

"Figures cha Pokémon is as savage a brute as cha, so much for cha guys being all about being peaceful," TJ snarled out, sighing as he shut his eyes "Oni…?"

Growling himself, the Gligar managed to move his head enough to look over to his Trainer snarling. "Gl-gligar…gli…gar gli…"

"…guess well haveta make this count then" TJ growled out "Poison sting."

Hearing that, the ground types tail whipped up for Sableye's back quickly as it glowed venomously.

However, Sableye saw it coming and jumped out of the way, spinning in midair and clinging to the wall, cackling.

Smirking at that, the Ground/Flying type rushed to the air again, quickly circling around

"Guillotine max power!"

Crossing his claws, Oni came rushing down for Sableye as energy began to bulk up the flying dual type's pincers. "GLIIIIII!"

"Oh really? Let's up the Gravity, shall we?" the admin laughed out.

As soon as he said that, Sableye's eyes glowed and Oni was sent back down to the ground.

With a massive impact, the Ground/Flying type smashed into a bit of the ground creating a crater, as the ghost dark type looked with its eyes, it saw Oni look up as he struggled under the impact, but gave a grin as it said in a singsong tone "Gaarrr", with a cheeky grin, which the other Pokémon understood as 'thanks'.

Before the Sableye could react, a lasso wrapped around the fallen duel type, whipping Oni quickly back to his trainers shoulders as the silverhead waved along to the admin and his people pulling Hiiro along. "Nice meeten cha guys we should have another lesson after this"

"E-eh?" Hiiro managed to get out in surprise.

"'EY! GIT BACK HERE!" the admin bellowed out, before snarling as the duo disappeared from sight. "Why those lil-"

"Lord Eclipse! W-we found it!" one of the grunts suddenly shouted, making the admin blink, before whipping around in surprise.

"Say wha!"

As they got out of sight, the silverhead's voice echoed behind him as the cave walls about Team Aether began to crack and rumble "SHONEN LESSON FOR TADAY, HOW THOSE POKEMON FELT WITH THEIR CAVE FALLEN ON THEIR HEADS!"

Eclipse blinked, before he choked. "Uh-oh…"

As if waiting for those words, the ground and ceiling all about the blasting site began to fall apart right around Eclipse and his men, the first batch of rocks sealing off the way the silverhead and boy went off.

* * *

"D-don't do that… so suddenly…" Hiiro panted, sitting on his knees with a hand to his chest to try and still the rapidly beating organ.

"Sorry Hiiro, Oni didn have enough time to make tha weakenen tunnels a bit more safely for us," the silverhead shrugged out, rubbing at the boy's back to help him steady his breathing and heart again.

"You could've warned me!" Hiiro exclaimed, a tad angry at the whole situation.

"I couldn' without warning them Hiiro, Oni understood me cause we have better history I couldn tip cha off without tippen them."

Hiiro remained silent as he managed to recover, getting back to his feet shakily. "Ugh… now what, though?"

"We look around again" TJ said simply, rubbing Oni's head on his shoulder as he muttered "I wanna give a checkup on tha Pokémon in tha cave, tha cave in we made shook tha place up only a lill out of tha cave in range, but tha earlier blasts woulda had a few hurt specially none Rock types."

"…Yeah, guess so…"

* * *

"Agh! Bright!" Hiiro hissed, pulling down his cap to protect his eyes from the glaring rays of the sun.

"Yeah, it happens" The silverhead chuckled squining a bit, a little thankfull Oni was on his head using his wings to sheild him, an invertedly his trainers eyes from the rays as the older adventurer added the last bandage to a young zubats leg "There cha go, try sleepen on cha stomach for a while on a tree till it heals" He chuckled, tossing the nocturnal pokemon to the air to fly away

Sighing a bit, Hiiro moved his cap up again once he had gotten used to the light. "…What were they looking for in there?"

"My guess a relic of some kind, orbs are rarely natrual forming an even so with all the gear they were usen an manpower its unlikely it was anythen for jus monetary value alone…"

"Hmm…"

"FIREEEE!"

"Huh?"

As Hiiro turned to look, the boy came to get hit face first by a blast of water. As he stuttered from the blast, he could hear Ketlin's voice giggling as he got a view of her holding something in her arms. "Heheh bull's-eye!"

Hiiro blinked a few times, water dripping from his bangs and cap, before smiling and pulling out his Dex for a moment, aiming it at the Pokémon Ketlin was holding.

"**_Corsola, the Coral Pokémon. Corsola's branches glitter very beautifully in seven colors when they catch sunlight. If a branch breaks off this Pokémon grows it back in just one night. They live in clutters within crisp clean ocean waters as they are unable to live in polluted water._**"

"So you found one, huh?" he asked with a small chuckle.

Ketlin giggled a little, snuggling the rather small pink Pokémon in her grasp as she blinked to her father and travel companion. "Wow looks like the cave fell on you both, you're so dirty"

"Kinda did kitten,"

"Yeah…"

"Huh? What the heck happen you make another Voltorb angry?"

Growling at that, the silverhead barked "Ey tha wasn my fault tha time kitten sides somethen else did it this time"

"Aether happened…"

Blinking at that, Ketlin growled out a bit, the little Corsola whining a bit before she settled her grip again. "What happened?"

Seeming to think, Hiiro looked over to TJ. "Can you explain? I'm still a little confused on the matter…"

"They were searchen for somethen they figured valuable, an they obviously didn care much if anythen happened to the Pokémon tha inhabit tha caverns…" The silverhead frowned out, crossing his arms a bit "Probably found it too…"

Glaring at that, the girl hissed out a bit, looking to the cave as she growled "Next time, I'm stampen them…"

The silverhead said nothing, before nodding. "Jus make sure ta henshin first."

"Gladly."

A sudden rumble echoed through the earth, before several dozen bursts of light shot out from behind the cave, shooting off into the sky before disappearing. Whatever they had been, it didn't really take a genius to figure out who was responsible for it.

"…What were those?"

"Some kinda air bike devices it looked like…" TJ grumbled out, sighing as he crossed his arms. "Tha jus confirms they weren looken for anythen worth money…"

"Dangit, papa you should have gone real jack-mac on them an whooped them to the hospital!"

"Ketlin… the 'leader' there was strong enough to bury his arm up to the elbow into the cave's wall," Hiiro said with a sigh. "You really think we could've stood up against someone like that?"

The girl looked to Hiiro blankly for a moment, before quickly putting her newest Pokémon in his arms with a 'hold her', before walking off a bit.

"…?"

After a bit, the girl turned about, crouching down as she seem to focus, before rushing top speed right for the boy, before she had much distance between them, she kicked off the ground, tuck and rolled through the air before kicking out, smashing her foot into a large stone beside the boy before landing from the kick, turning, she took a posture as she muttered out "Ride Kick". Without a second glance, Ketlin plucked her Pokémon, walking off calmly to leave the boy to blink in wonder, before he was answered as the stone cracked right at the center where Ketlin's foot landed. "That's all I gotta say on thats"

Hiiro silently watched her go for a moment, before sighing softly. "I still doubt that would've helped any…" he mumbled, before adjusting his cap again. "What am I gonna do about my sixth Pokémon, though?"

"We can try around tha forest still if cha want, maybe do some more fishen might find someone part electric type if cha lucky," TJ shrugged out, patting the boys shoulder "common lets rest for now though, we have plenty of time."

"That, or you can go a little past eh east side of the cave," came a familiar voice, making the duo look over. Rachel merely stood leaning against the side of the cave, arms crossed over her chest and one foot placed against the wall.

"…You show up everywhere, don't you?" Hiiro quipped.

"…Coincidence," was all he got in reply.

"Only coincidence is on a Meowth's head," The silverhead said with a small frown.

"…Think what you want," Rachel said simply, before pushing off from the cave wall and moving away from them.

Frowning some more at her response, the older adventurer called out "Ey where cha go…ing? Hiiro where tha heck are 'cha' goen?" TJ muttered out a bit surprised, watching as the boy began to follow the girl without notice.

"I'm just going to see what Pokémon are over there. Is that a problem?" Hiiro asked in return.

"Well no jus worried cause we did kinda have a tasken time jus now…"

"I won't be long. You can head on back to the Center and I'll meet you two there later, okay?" the boy quipped, waving briefly before he hurried after Rachel.

Frowning a little, the silverhead chuckled before shaking it off with a wave "Alright jus take it easy, see cha at tha center then."

* * *

**Eclipse is copyrighted to Red "Sinder" Chaos Mage.  
**


	11. Chapter 10 Io of Sapphire

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 10: Io of Sapphire**

* * *

The Gym of Sapphire Island was bigger than the previous Gyms, if you didn't count the Amethyst Gym, since that one went underground. Sapphire's Gym was two floors high, and the first floor was adorned with dozens of bookshelves on each wall, granite desks stood in lines to the side, and a blackboard at the back, with several crayons of different colors resting in the tray, the eraser lying next to them. However, there was no clear way to get up, or down.

"…Well, it's obvious that this place used to be a school," Hiiro murmured.

"Guess so…not like I'd know really," the girl muttered, looking a bit to the side as she blinked to the blackboard looking it over "Hey, another gym clue…"

"Hm?" Following after, Hiiro looked at the blackboard as well. "Okay, what's the gimmick here?"

* * *

"_Find that which I loved when I was little_

_Find that which was favored of me as an adult_

_Find that which I must face at the end_

_Follow my footsteps from past to present to future_

_Where all three connect_

_I shall be waiting for a guide across_

_So that I may find peace_"

* * *

"Eash more riddles…" Ketlin growled out, before turning to Hiiro a bit expectantly. "Well that's your cue to start being solving, Hiiry."

"…" However, Hiiro merely looked at the blackboard in confusion, before he scratched the back of his head. "The heck? This isn't a puzzle… this is a riddle…"

"…Yeah…a riddle for the puzzle…what's the deal?"

"…I suck at riddles," Hiiro admitted with a sigh.

Looking at him blankly, the girl muttered out "You have got to be kidding me…"

"I'm not… sorry…" Sighing once more, Hiiro walked over and dropped down on one of the chairs behind the desks. "Ugh… this sucks…"

"Ugh…hm…wait some of this sounds familiar…Ugh can't remember," the girl growled, before looking around some more. "Gotta be some hint…"

Hiiro watched Ketlin for a moment, before spinning around to sit behind the desk properly… and blinked when he saw the desk up close.

"What the?" he murmured, running his hand over the carvings on the granite desk. "Ketlin, these desks have Pokémon engraved in them."

"Hm?" Blinking to that, the girl walked over, leaning over Hiiro's shoulder to glance to the carvings along the desks. "Pokémon…?"

Like Hiiro had said, the entire desk was engraved with over dozens of Pokémon, though not entirely lifelike. They looked more like the ones you'd see in old ruins of ancient legendary Pokémon.

"I think these desks have something to do with the riddle…" Hiiro murmured as he stood up. "Are all the desks the same?"

Nodding a bit, Ketlin walked about to glance between the desks curiously, a hand rubbing along the surfaces as she moved. "Think you're right Hiiry, the designs are way too old like for new day kids to use. I only know it cause of papa's jack'mac'ing."

"I wonder where he got these from…" Hiiro murmured absently, studying the desks one by one. "…Yeah, they're all different. So we have to choose the right one… question now is how do we figure out which one is right?"

"Footprints."

"Huh?"

Looking back to Hiiro after checking a desk, the girl nodded. "The riddle said 'follow my footsteps from past to present to future' right? Well that probably means three desks got marks that match each other or something. One with a baby Pokémon, then it grown up, then it at the end of its life."

"Yeah, but we also need to find something that it 'loved as a child', " Hiiro added.

"Yeah yeah and favored…hm well since it's Pokémon," the girl muttered as she rubbed her chin in thought. "It's probably a Pokémon types that like things, you know like how um, Cubone are so attached to their skull masks?"

"Isn't that because the skulls are of their deceased mother?"

"Sue me it's the best one I could think off the top of my head…"

Hiiro allowed a small smile, before moving around the desks again.

"Well what other Pokémon like things, um…Qui…quor…what were those big squishy blue ones that liked round stuff?"

"Quagsire? …Yeah, they do like to collect round stuff… but Quagsire are technically already adults, aren't they?"

"Again sue me papas the jack mac not me," Ketlin frowned, looking between desks with a sigh. "Nothing here…"

Hiiro moved to the last desk of the row he was on, and studied the engravings… and smiled. "I got it!"

"Finally," the girl sighed out in relief, heading over to look. "So who is it?"

"This little one," Hiiro said, pointing to the top of the desk.

The Pokémon he was pointing out looked much like a cat with a coin on its forehead, and it was pawing at what could be ground, but upon close inspection, it was sitting on a pile of coins.

"Meowth? Doh I should have known that one," the girl grumbled out, rubbing her temples a bit as she looked to the ceiling of the school/gym. "They love coins, then when they evolve they usually have payday, so they make coins as Persian, then…Oh, that…"

"The gems."

"Hm?"

"The gem on a Persian's forehead is a favored conversation point amongst the more wealthy. Some say that the size of the gem determines the amount of money that they can give."

"Eash sure Meowy loves hearing that…" Ketlin grumbled, before rubbing her neck. "Kay so we know who we're talken about then, now what?"

"If I'm not mistaking… Ketlin, gimme a hand. This is granite, so it's probably a little heavy," Hiiro said as he moved to one side of the desk and placed his hands below the top.

Blinking a bit, the mixed haired girl gave a nod, helping Hiiro out as she followed his lead "Alright but I'm not that strong really."

"Same here. That's why I suggested doing this together. Heave… HO!"

With that, the duo pulled upward on the desk, causing the top to open up with a loud groaning sound as the stone slab was removed.

"…Holy…" Hiiro murmured, staring in awe at the horde of coins gleaming up at them.

"…this student is getting a spanking by their parents for bullying everyone's lunch money away later," The girl giggled out, swiping up a few coins to flick about in her hand. "Jokes aside, guess that means right about now we should start hearing…"

"Hey… there's a paper here," Hiiro murmured, pulling out a piece of paper hidden beneath the coins. "'Bring my fare with you so that I am allowed to pass, and I will see you above'," he read aloud.

"Oh right, 'future' the girl sighed, tossing the coins in the air before swiping them in mid spin as she grinned out "Time to start heading up then."

No sooner had she said that, or one of the bookcases groaned and swung aside slowly, revealing a staircase behind it.

"…That works."

Not giving him a chance to really get up, Ketlin snagged onto Hiiro's wrist, tugging the boy along with a fiery grin. "Go time!"

"Ah!"

* * *

The room above them was also decorated as a school… but as one that had been abandoned long ago. The books were aged and the pages were yellow and withering. The desks had almost crumbled entirely, leaving only the chairs that had been scattered around. The blackboard was almost entire broken apart, and the crayons had been crushed into powder on the ground.

And laying in the back of the room was a gorgeous white-furred feline with a sparkling red gem on its forehead, resting peacefully.

"…Expected more like a tribute statue or something not someone still on our side" Ketlin blinked out a bit, giving a glance around the discrepancy of the room. "What a mess…"

"Well, that's one way…" Hiiro murmured, before slowly walking over to the Persian.

The large feline's ears twitched, and slowly, its eyes opened and it raised its head to meet Hiiro. The boy could already tell that this Persian had to be pretty old, because its fur was originally a light yellow in color rather than white. The cat watched him for a few moments, before giving a yawn and climbing to its feet, stretching its body a little before meeting Hiiro halfway.

"Mreoowww…" it purred as the boy reached out carefully to pet it.

Giggling a little, Ketlin reached out scratching along the base of the Persian's ears. "Hehe hey, sorry to wake you up. Um, Hiiry you better go with em first, I got to …erm, find a bathroom!"

"If you say so…" Hiiro chuckled with a smile, holding out his hand. "Can I have the 'fare', then?"

"Right right" Ketlin nodded, tossing a few coins up to land into the boy's palm as she began to walk back to the stairs. "Just don't get whoomped"

Hiiro laughed softly, before turning to the Persian who was watching her go quietly. "She'll be back soon," Hiiro whispered, making the cat look up. "She just doesn't want me to see her change into her 'battle attire'."

The Persian seemed to think, before meowing once and beginning to walk to the other side of the room. It wasn't until Hiiro walked after it that he realized that half of the bookcase had gone, revealing a hidden entrance behind it. He had to duck to get under it to follow the Persian… only to gasp in surprise.

Waiting behind the bookcase was the statue of someone dressed in robes, carrying a massive scythe over one shoulder and one bony hand held out as though expecting something to be given to him.

"Oh geez… it's just a statue but… that scared me for a moment…" Hiiro breathed out, patting his chest briefly before walking forward to the statue of Death. Reaching out, the boy carefully placed the coins Ketlin had given him in the bony hand.

The moment he let them go, the hand clenched on the coins, causing Hiiro to jump back in surprise, before a door opened to the side, revealing a lift.

"Only one…?" Hiiro wondered, walking after the Persian as it stepped inside. "…She better hurry up or she'll be left behind…"

For a moment Hiiro didn't hear or see anything, before an obviously irritated voice growled out "Damn it!" Growling still as she walked to view, Ketlin came up along the lift, almost fully set as 'Kamen Trainer', save her headwear and gloves as she hopped on. Looking away as she began to pull the last of her costume on she growled "…when did Papa tell you…"

"He didn't have to," Hiiro said simply. "I already figured it out before he said anything."

"Gah, how?"

"Ketlin, if you want me to not figure out who you are, use Pokémon I haven't seen of you yet," Hiiro said as the lift shook for a moment, before beginning a steady descent. "I'd seen both Golett and Cacnea from you already. Hell, I saw you catch the latter. That, and there aren't that many Trainers who get hurt when their Pokémon get hit during fights."

"Their names are Toku and Thorn," the girl growled out flatly, muttering out about how the last part was a bit out of her control as she slipped her mask on. "Sides all I had left was Natsu and Deva, I promised myself not to use my other Pokémon till after my eight badge."

"I see…" Hiiro murmured, rubbing his head briefly. "Urgh…what… what's with the air here…?"

Just as he said that, the lift stopped. The Persian didn't bother and just walked out, giving a small call for the duo to follow.

Taking a breath, the girl sighed out, growling a bit before following as she 'got into character' as she looked ahead "Go time…"

"Right."

* * *

The arena that they would be fighting in was relatively simple, but there were several sticks of incense lit up around the room, which might explain the shift in the air that Hiiro had noticed. Other than that, the battlefield had no real discerning features that could be seen right off the bat.

Sapphire's Gym Leader was sitting on the opposite end of the room with his legs folded and his hands placed together, his eyes shut in silent meditation.

Ketlin, or rather, Kamen Trainer, crossed her arms a bit as she looked to the gym leader, before reaching out and giving Hiiro's shoulder a small push forward. "Sapphire Gym Leader, we are here to challenge you. So you better not be napping."

Io did not respond to the call, even as the Persian walked over to settle beside him. But when the Pokémon mewled briefly, he opened his eyes and looked to the cat. Reaching out, he lightly rubbed the cat's head.

"…There is no need to raise your voice," he said calmly, standing up slowly and walking forward to stand in the square meant for the Gym Leader. "Well then… I assume you both wish to take the Challenge?" he asked, his calm demeanor not leaving him at all.

"No, the boy is going to be your first challenger. I just don't like waiting for elevators."

"Well, if the rules allow us to both go…" Hiiro called out. "Would that be possible?"

"Yes… in the event of two Trainers coming at the same time, I prefer to use an adjusted set of rules," Io said simply.

Frowning a little, the masked girl shrugged with a slight sigh, rearing her body a bit ready to kick out her leg to release the Pokéballs attached to her boots. "Alright for me then."

"Okay… so… what are the rules?" Hiiro asked calmly.

"The rules are simply; you must defeat my entire team with half of your own in Single Battles. You can decide amongst yourself who goes first. Once one of my Pokémon is defeated, you are to switch with your friend. This does not count as a knockout, so you are free to use the same Pokémon for 2 or 3 rounds if they can handle it."

"That sounds simple enough…" Hiiro murmured, before turning to Kamen Trainer. "Well, as they say, 'ladies first', right?"

Giving Hiiro a look, a bit tricky with the tinted eyes of her mask, the girl nodded before giving out a roundhouse kick, sending a Pokéball flying.

As the Pokéball erupted in red light, the Pokémon materialized slamming its four paws down hard on the ground, giving a cry as its silver fur flared out as it looked to the Gym Leader and the Persian with a confident radiating off of it. "ABSOL!"

"Kamiyu and me are ready, Sapphire Leader."

"If you say so," Io said simply as the Persian almost casually walked out into the field, pausing briefly to stretch with a small yawn.

Kamiyu eyed the Persian as it came up to the fighting area, watching the older Normal type for a few moments, before giving a broad grin as his trainer did the same. "Absol…"

The large feline didn't even respond to the Dark-type's grin and merely started to wash its face, as though not at all interested in the concept of battle.

"Well then… let's begin," Io said simply.

Flexing his claws for a moment, the Dark type crouched low, before speeding for the Normal type, claws swiping for Persian's forehead quickly. However, Persian merely cocked its head back, missing the claws by a hair. But before the Dark-type could back up, it lashed out with one claw in a vicious swipe.

"AB!" Kamiyu called out as the Slash attack hit into his shoulder, knocking the Dark type off balance for a moment, but the prior grin seem to broaden even more as its claws darkened.

"Payback."

Hearing the voiced command, the Absol's claw zipped up again for Persians side, the Dark type energy flowing from the senses of his wounded shoulder fueling his claws' power. The cat yowled as the attack ripped through its side, before it turned to Absol again. However, despite the injury, rather than getting angry, the cat retained its calm composure.

"Bite."

Persian was upon Kamiyu in an instant, its teeth closing in on the Dark type's back while its claws dug into his sides to prevent him from going anywhere.

The masked trainer hissed out, managing to avoid outright crying out from the sudden jolt through her back and sides as her Pokémon let its own pained cry shout out for the both of them. Rubbing her neck, the masked girl hissed out "Quick Attack!"

Growling, the Dark type leaned down, before kicking off, letting Persian's grip stay strong by pulling the Normal type's weight onto his one shoulder before speed rushing the both of them into a wall.

Persian yowled when it smashed into the wall, causing it to instinctively let go of the Dark type. However, it stood up slowly and shook its head to get rid of the stars in its head.

"Wow… that Persian has a lot of stamina…"

"Also knows…" the girl began, shaking her head clear as her Pokémon leapt back to get some decent distance between himself and the Gym Leader's Persian "how to take the edge off the most of the attack from all its years."

"I noticed… strange though… most Pokémon would start getting angry at some point," Hiiro murmured in thought. "Do you think this one is staying so calm because of its age?"

"A possibility." The girl nodded, taking a ready posture as her Absol got ready for the next attack. "This Persian might also have a rare ability for its breed…"

"May-uh-oh…"

The thing that had Hiiro worried was the energy that had begun to gather at the gem on the Persian's forehead, which was beginning to shine a bright white color, even as the Persian briefly washed its face. It was a type of energy that many experienced Trainers would probably recognize.

Seeing that, the girl grinned out, as did her Absol as it began to snap its neck. "Yeah Kamiyu, this is just the type of first battle for us. Let's go!"

Without any signs of worry, the Absol whipped its head around to give a battle cry, rushing in as the Persian began the last bits of its charge for attack. "AABSOOOL!"

But the second Kamiyu got in range, Persian looked up almost lazily and dug its claws into the ground, a piercing white beam erupting from the gem on its forehead at point blank range.

"SOL!"

"Nrgh!"

"Oh geez…"

Gritting his teeth, the Dark type managed to lower his body down, sinking his claws into the ground as he ended up being blasted to make a deep trench along the arena before the beam finally ended, letting the Dark type wobble in place weakly. "A…aabsol…"

Persian wasn't any better, though; the burst of energy had left the cat standing on wobbly legs, panting for breath.

Panting as much as her Pokémon, Kamen Trainer squinted a bit through her mask watching the Persian quietly, before grinning as though spotting something, her Pokémon's grin returning as well. "Gotcha…" was all she said, just as an invisible like blast carved into the normal type from above creating an 'X' formation with it at the center into the ground

"Huh!"

Persian howled out in pain at the attack, before it collapsed to the ground and stirred no more.

Smiling, the masked trainer steadied herself again, pointing her finger upwards with a grin, watching as Hiiro spotted several claw like marks along the ceiling, freshly made only moments ago "Hyper Beam…is a two part attack. The energy gathers, then gets released. After it's released, the Pokémon's weak. Most try hitting them before they release it…but." She grinned out near as ferally as her Absol, who snapped his neck a bit, though the action obviously pained him. "If you use a delayed attack, like say, Razor Wind during the charging time as a distraction, you nail them when they're at their vulnerable moment"

"Wow…" Hiiro breathed out.

Io barely seemed bothered about the loss and merely applauded briefly. "Very good. That was a very good strategy," he complimented with a smile.

"Heh…" The girl grinned, rubbing her nose a bit as Kamiyu limped a bit to the Persian, managing to help tug the Normal type out of the battle area to the sideline where The dark type rested beside it. "Wish I could take credit, but I learned it from someone else"

"Perhaps, but a good strategy remains a good strategy, correct?" Io asked simply, before turning to Persian. "How long are you going to stay like that?"

In response to that, the Persian lazily opened one eye and gave a small smile, before it effortlessly rose to its feet and stretched out with a big yawn, and walked over to the Gym Leader without any signs of pain.

"Huh? H-how did…?" Hiiro choked out in surprise.

"Yeah, figured it would have been ready for it," the girl sighed out, looking to the Absol as it watched the Normal type for a moment before shutting his eyes. "When its legs were wobbly, it was letting its own weakness be a defense strength to soften any possible counter attack so it wouldn't be too far hurt…Io, tell me. Your Persian, it has Unnerve, am I right?"

"Unnerve?"

"It's a rare ability, normally only one breed of Pokémon has it in the entire world, but some Pokémon can rarely gain abilities not normally found in their breeds…"

Io merely allowed a smile. "You ask a good question, but I'm afraid that the answer is 'no'."

Persian settled beside the Gym Leader and yawned once more before curling up on the floor.

"Hm oh well." She shrugged, going off to the side with her Pokémon to sit and rest for the moment after giving Hiiro's shoulder a strong pat. "Try not to lose, challenger."

Hiiro blinked, before he rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll do my best," he said, reaching up and twisting his cap around. "Alright, let's go then."

"As you wish," Io said simply, whistling softly. And in an instant, his Pidgeot descended from the rafters above, settling down on the ground and folding up its wings, tossing its head a few times as though to get its feathers in order.

"Pidgeot… that's a pretty fast Pokémon… so I'll have to counter with one of my own!" Hiiro murmured, reaching for one of his Pokéballs and tossing it forward.

As the energy coming from the Pokéball materialized, it revealed a Pokémon that looked much like a horse, only instead of hair, its mane and tail consisted of flames that seemed to dance in the air. The Pokémon tossed its own head a bit, then reared back on its hind legs and let out a whinny, kicking its front legs before dropping back down; a Ponyta.

Blinking a little, the girl turned from the sidelines looking to Hiiro curiously. "Ponyta are around these parts huh?"

"Interesting choice…" Io murmured, even as Pidgeot took a moment to preen its wings. "Very well. Begin."

While Pidgeot did not make a move to attack, Hiiro knew that the bird had to be much faster than Ponyta. However, that didn't mean he was giving up right off the bat. "Quick Attack!"

In an instant, Ponyta kicked off and rushed at the Pidgeot with a loud whinny. Naturally, the Pidgeot took to the air to avoid the attack, but Ponyta spun around and kicked off again, though this time in a jump.

Pidgeot couldn't avoid the attack entirely and squawked in surprise when the hit to its back sent it for a somersault in midair.

"Now that's how to quick attack something out of range," The girl grinned out, crossing her arms a bit as her Absol gave a slightly annoyed sigh at the slight shout its ear just got.

"Right! Ember, now!" Hiiro called out.

Ponyta immediately inhaled before launching a ball of fire right at Pidgeot, missing it by a feather. Rather than leave it at that though, the horse continued to spit out multiple balls of fire at Pidgeot, of which most of them missed the Flying type, if only barely.

Hiiro frowned a little as he saw the balls of fire just barely touch the Pidgeot's tailfeathers. 'Ponyta's aiming for the spot where it is at the moment he fires… but by the time it reaches it, it's already moved away. In that case…'

"Ponyta! A little more to the side! Anticipate where your opponent will be and fire at that spot!"

Frowning at those words, Ponyta tilted his head briefly and fired another Ember attack - and this time it collided with Pidgeot's chest, making the Flying type caw in pain/surprise.

"Aerial Ace."

Before Ponyta could react to those words, Pidgeot shot forward and slammed beakfirst into his side, causing him to let out a pained neigh as he was knocked backwards.

"Ugh if only he knew Extreme.." Kamen Trainer sighed out, before turning to the boy with a frown. 'Hiiry's Pokémon is a little inexperienced for this kind of area disadvantaged fight..'

"Don't let that knock you down, Ponyta!" Hiiro called out. "Get up! C'mon!"

Ponyta whinnied as it climbed back up to stand on slightly wobbly legs, glaring the Pidgeot down angrily. Pidgeot merely watched Ponyta for a moment longer, before rushing right back for him.

"Tail Whip!" Hiiro cried out just as Pidgeot was in range.

Ponyta spun to the side quickly, and though he couldn't avoid the hit entirely, the spin did cause his tail to slam into Pidgeot, knocking the bird off course with a squawk.

"Whirlwind."

With a caw, the Pidgeot put some distance between it and Ponyta and began to beat its wings furiously even as Ponyta climbed back to his hooves from the previous assault. However, the sudden blast of wind nearly sent the horse flying up if he hadn't lowered his body to the ground again.

'This is familiar… only this time I can't have Ponyta leap into the air… If I did, there's a large chance he'd break a leg when coming down…'

"Challenger!" the masked girl hissed out to Hiiro, nodding to the Pidgeot's attack. "If you can't use your Pokémon's strength to win a battle or find a weakness in your opponent.."

Before Hiiro could say anything in response to that, though, Ponyta raised his head and took a long breath. "Wait… Ponyta what are you-"

The Fire type didn't allow his Trainer to finish that sentence and let out a sharp neigh as a burst of flames rushed from his mouth. The whirlwind he was still trapped in swallowed up the flames and fueled them until the entire whirlwind was made out of nothing but fire.

Pidgeot gave a squawk of surprise, just before the blazing Fire Spin attack slammed right into it, sending it flying backwards with a cry of pain, before crashing down onto the ground with a heavy thud.

"…w-whoa…" Hiiro breathed out. 'Since when could he use Fire Spin? He surely couldn't use it when I caught him, I know that much… Did he… did he figure out how to do it just now?'

Kamen Trainer smirked, crossing her arms as she leaned back relaxing a bit more as she muttered in a low voice "Well, meant to get that to Hiiry, but seems his Ponyta got it faster than him, hehe."

Io allowed a small smile as he once again applauded. "Very nice. Seems you acquired a trustworthy companion, didn't you?"

Hiiro blinked, before he smiled a bit. "That's one way to put it, I guess," he said as Ponyta walked over slowly, neighing a bit and nudging the boy's arm, earning himself a stroke on the neck.

Getting back to her feet with a sigh as she stretched her joints, Kamen Trainer made her way back beside Hiiro, giving the Ponyta's neck a rub before turning to Io. "That makes it my turn now then, doesn't it Sapphire leader?"

"So it is," Io said simply as Pidgeot climbed back to its talons, shaking his body briefly before flying back up to the rafters from whence it had come. As he watched that, Hiiro frowned a little.

'No Pokéballs for any of his Pokémon… Could… could the rumors be true after all?'

Taking her stance, the masked girl lashed out with another roundhouse kick, sending her next Pokéball flying to release her next Pokémon. In a flash of light shoot out, it began to meld an form solid again, taking shape of the small, round bodied Corsola from her earlier side trip. "Your turn, Leader."

"As you wish," Io said, and clapped his hands once.

A little later, a single Pokémon walked over from the back; a green bird of some kind holding its white wings in front of its body and bearing a slight resemblance to an Indian totem pole; a Xatu.

Looking to the Pokémon briefly, the masked girl chuckled, looking to Io calmly. "It's been a while since I've seen a head battler who has wild Pokémon friends who battle with them in official Matches, Sapphire Leader."

"Wild Pokémon?" Io asked, before he chuckled. "These Pokémon are hardly 'wild'. They have been at my side for over 30 years already."

'30 years...' Hiiro frowned in thought.

"At your side, but, have you ever used a Pokéball on them?"

"Yes, I merely choose not to restrain them within the Gym," Io said simply as Xatu walked over into the field.

"Heh, shame. It would have added to your points.." The girl chuckled with a shrug, slowly shaking her head to brush the matter aside. "Age before youth"

"If you wish," Io said simply. And in response to that, Xatu's eyes narrowed briefly, then snapped wide open again... and that was it.

'Great shouldn't have given that sort of opening my biting my back now..' Hissing, the girl quickly called out "Give em a hard tackle!"

"Cor!" The pink coral Pokémon called out, rushing ahead towards Xatu as its body began to give an almost metallic shine. Xatu took the attack dead center and rocked backwards on its feet without moving - then rocked back forward and sent Corsola away from it.

"Xatu spend most of their time standing motionless," Hiiro murmured.

"Cor!" the Water type cried out, shaking her head blinking a bit in surprise. "Sola?"

"You did fine that's normal, now Bubble!"

Nodding, the Water type took a breath, before breathing out as it gathered water about her lips, sending a batch of bright colored bubbles flying for the psychic bird.

Once again, Xatu remained completely motionless as the bubbles burst apart against it, only occasionally rocking on its feet but never much.

"...It really isn't moving, is it?"

"Cooor.."

Sighing, the masked Trainer looked around, frowning as she crossed her arms. "Yeah I know this Pokémon probably drove a lot of Trainers nuts, Tackle again, this time get clear after you collide."

Corsola gave another nod and rushed ahead, smacking for Xatu before hopping away just avoiding the teetering Pokémon returning to its talon. "Sola!"

The moment Corsola leapt back though, a blast of Psychic energy slammed into her, the Future Sight attack finally solidified enough to do damage.

"Gah!"

"COOR!" The Water type cried out, hitting into the ground face first rather roughly, visibly shaken up quite a bit from the impact. "C-corsola..."

And despite all that, Xatu refused to budge an inch.

"This is going to take forever at this rate..." Hiiro murmured.

Rubbing her head, the masked girl began to snarl before hollering out "ROCK'EM!"

The shout clearing up the Corsola's senses again, caused her to hop back up before smacking her head low to the ground, shattering parts of its horns which were sent flying for the Xatu

"Double Team."

In an instant, Xatu had duplicated itself so many times that it had Corsola entirely surrounded, though the copies that were hit by the Rock Blast quickly dissipated.

"Cor!"

"Grrrah ..settle down girl.." The masked trainer frowned out, crossing arms and shutting her eyes "Hmm." Blinking, the girl smirked out a bit "Bubble! LOTS of it!"

Blinking a little herself, Corsola looked to her Trainer, before nodding and starting to turn on the spot, sending bubbles flying this way and that way, steadily covering the entire area in a steady stream of foam.

The copies started to disappear by the dozen as Corsola turned in place, until none were left at all. However, after a brief glance around, the Gym Leader's Pokémon had moved from somewhere around Corsola to stand five feet away from its Trainer.

Blinking at that, Kamen Trainer sighed out with a hushed growl to herself "Dammit that's why I can't stand Psychic attacks.."

"Isn't there a way to use its attacks against it?" Hiiro asked curiously.

Shaking her head, the girl growled out. "It's unpredictable and appears out of nowhere..ugh and scrambles my brain.."

Hiiro frowned for a moment before he reached into his pocket and pulled out his Dex, looking through some of the data. "...And you can't do something to change the future?"

"Papa says the past and future are always changing..gah" Shaking her head clear she growled out "Though if I could...Bubbles Again!"

Blinking at her trainers command, Corsola spun around again, creating the wave of bubbles all around her once more

Like last time, Xatu remained rooted to the spot, only tipping a few times.

"Now, ram em!"

Completely encased in the surf of bubbles, Corsola rushed ahead for Xatu as her trainer shouted "Coooorrr!"

Xatu barely let out a sound as he teetered on his talons. However, as Corsola's attack hit, just as the psychic birds talons shifted to pull back its weight back, the stream of bubbles that encased the pike Pokémon followed in suit, bursting with aquatic energy as they bombarded the bird's body.

"Xa...?" the bird got out, before dropping back onto its back.

Gripping the air tightly, Kamen trainer grinned out with a shout "This time, Sod Blast!"

"Enough"

Just as she got it, the Corsola blinked out waving its horn like parts a bit in the air stopping, which unfortunately caused her to fall face forward. "Cor! Sollaaa..."

Io was silent for a moment before he called out: "Xatu, get up."

Xatu lightly bobbed its head from where it lay on the ground and glowed a pale white, before disappearing and reappearing by its Trainer's side.

Giving an annoyed sigh, Kamen trainer crossed her arms frowning behind her mask as she looked to Io "I kind of dislike being 'taken easy on', Gym Leader."

"If you are experienced enough," Io said calmly, "then you know when a battle is won and when it is lost. And when it is already lost, it is a waste to make more sacrifices than are necessary."

"..." Hiiro remained silent to those words, seemingly lost in thought.

At that herself, the girl was silent for a few moments, before grabbing the air again with vigor. "An that's not how I go. No matter how bleak it looks, my candle's wick is burning brighter than the sun to shine through to the end, if I don't go full throttle, I'll only let myself down."

"Ketlin, enough!" Hiiro whispered so that Io couldn't hear. "Io is... he's... just... h-he has his reasons, alright?"

Looking to the boy for a moment, the girl whispered back quickly "And he should be wise enough to know he can step forward while still holding to those he loved in the past inside of him, Hiiry." Shutting her eyes for a moment, the girl turned calling for her new Pokémon to sit beside her and her still sleeping Absol to rest. "Your turn, challenger."

Hiiro nodded and stepped forward. "Right..."

Io remained silent for once, as the sound of hooves clicking against the ground echoed briefly through the room, before a large deer-like Pokémon stepped forward, its heavy looking antlers adorned with two blue gem-like objects; a Stantler.

"Stantler… this is gonna be a little tough…" Hiiro murmured softly, before reaching for one of his Pokéballs. "I have one question concerning the rules, sir."

"Ask away."

"If my Pokémon is knocked out, does that end my turn?"

"No. Your turn ends when my Pokémon is knocked out."

"Ah, alright then…" Hiiro nodded and tossed his Pokéball forward. "Just checking!"

As the Pokéball burst open, the tiny Pokémon plopped down on the floor with a little yelp, before it looked up cutely to the much bigger Pokémon. "Woopa?"

Blinking, the masked girl turned to her tag teaming partner curiously. "Wooper?"

"Relax… she can handle this just fine," Hiiro said with a small smirk, even as the tiny Pokémon rocked up to her feet to look up to Stantler with her small, beady eyes.

"Interesting choice…" Io murmured. "Begin."

Immediately, Wooper inhaled briefly before squirting out a burst of water. Of course, Stantler merely had to sidestep the Water Gun assault - and still got sprayed when Wooper snapped her head sideways. The deer Pokémon yelped in surprise as it backed off, before staring Wooper down with a slight frown on its face. Wooper, however, merely rocked on her little feet, head cocked curiously and not seeming the least bit bothered by the much larger Pokémon.

Holding back a giggle, Kamen Trainer gave the small Water type an approving look. "Like the size of her guts that's for sure."

"Don't let your guard down, Wooper!" Hiiro called out. "Slam 'm!"

"Woopa!" the small Pokémon quipped and toddled forward on her tiny little legs.

"Earthquake."

At that command, Hiiro choked. "Oh you gotta be!" he hissed out as Stantler reared back on its hind legs before smashing back down. The resulting tremor made Wooper trip with a yelp, making her tumble forward and roll into Stantler's legs.

"Woopa?"

"Get out of the way!" Hiiro cried out, and Wooper only just managed to roll out of the way to avoid getting smushed under the Stantler's hooves. "Esh… That was close."

"Grr…hate to say it but you might have to call her back for someone else…"

"Would you knock that off! She's fine!" Hiiro cried out, before turning back to the fight as Wooper stopped her roll a little bit away from him. "Wooper, Rollout! Knock 'm over!"

"Woopa!" the Water/Ground type chirped, hopping up and running toward Stantler, before curling its small body forward and rolling up into a small ball, rushing forward rapidly.

"Take Down."

Tilting its head to the side for a moment, as though stretching its muscles, before kicking off against the ground and running toward the charging Pokémon, head held down and antlers aimed at Wooper.

"Uh-oh…"

Covering her eyes quickly, the girl winced out "This is going to sting…"

No sooner had she said that or Stantler rammed Wooper with its head, tossing its head upward with a loud cry and sending Wooper flying upward with a yowl.

"Ah!"

"…Unfortunate…" Io murmured softly.

With a bit of a sigh, Kamen Trainer got up, crossing her arms with a shake of her head. "Challanger, there's nothing wrong with your Wooper, but she's just not ready for this just yet…"

"…hm?" When Io frowned a little in thought, Stantler let a confused sound - before yowling in pain when something large and heavy smashed into its back, smashing it into the floor.

"QUAG!"

Hiiro stared in surprise, whispering: "No way…" before pulling out his PokéDex.

"**_Quagsire, a waterfish Pokémon. They by leaving its mouth wide open in water and waiting for its prey to blunder in. Because it doesn't move, it does not get very hungry. Due to its relaxed and carefree attitude, it often bumps its head on boulders and boat hulls as it swims._**"

"How did…?" Hiiro managed to get out as the Water/Ground type rolled off of Stantler and unfurled, blinking. The once tiny Pokémon now came to Hiiro's waist, at least, and had gotten a pair of arms, too, even though she still had no real hands. Her neck was now almost nonexistent and her body was almost shining because of the slime that covered it.

"Quaaaag," the Pokémon called out, lightly rocking on her feet as Stantler struggled to get back to its feet after being knocked down to the floor by Quagsire's 165 pounds of weight.

The girl said nothing for a few moments, before grinning out "'Now' she's about ready for this fight, good timing to evolve girl!"

Io was quiet for a moment longer, seeming to consider his options. Finally though he said: "Stantler, return. You can barely stand; there is no reason for you to put yourself further at risk."

Stantler whined briefly, but did not disagree, and walked back the way it had come.

Quagsire blinked twice, before giving a cry and waddling over to Hiiro. Smiling, Hiiro crouched down and patted her head. "You did good, girl."

"Quaaag."

Giving a small grin, Kamen trainer walked over again, giving the Quagsire's neck a good affectionate rub before nodding to the Gym Leader. "My turn, Sapphire Leader, call out your next Pokémon."

"Very well," Io said with a small smile, as another Flying Pokémon came down from the rafters, to land in the battlefield. Its feathers were a dark blue while its chest was white. Its tails was separated in two spikes, and it radiated an air of calm much like the rest of the Gym Leader's Pokémon; a Swellow.

Seeing the flying type, the girl frowned in thought, before taking her roundhouse stance again, sending her Pokéball flying to the arena field. In a flash, the robust, rounded humanoid like pig Pokémon erupted from its Pokéball, giving his best pumped up posture as he stomped out "PIIIIG-NITE!"

Io remained silent as Natsu appeared, before he said simply: "Begin."

Hearing that, Natsu rushed forward quickly, thrusting its arms out repeatedly for Swellow in its arm thrust attack "NITE NITE NITE NITE!"

However, Swellow merely hopped back and forth, almost easily avoiding the punches thrown at it.

Smiling a bit, Ketlin, or rather Kamen trainer, gripped her fist tightly. "Hehe."

The Gym Leader merely watched quietly, not seeming too worried about the setup. Then again, when had he EVER been worried during the match?

After another arm thrust, Natsu swung for another shot with its arm, but as the Swellow hopped away, the Pignite released a stored blast of ember from his lips "PIGNITE!"

However, the Swellow brought up its wings and blew the winds back with one well-aimed Wing Attack.

Getting knocked back a bit himself, Natsu snagged at the remaining sparks of flame from his deflected Ember, relighting them in his palms as he smashed the ground rushing as his body became encased in flames, rocketing his movements in the Flame Charge. "NITE!"

That was unavoidable, even for the speedy Swellow, making the bird squawk out in surprise as it was knocked back, before it took to the air to avoid the pig.

Skidding to a stop along the ground, Natsu gave its arms a quick shake, clenching his fingers tight as he put the flames out once more, watching the Swellow fly about above him. "Piiig…"

"Aerial Ace."

In an instant, Swellow rushed forward and smashed beak-first into Pignite.

"Nrgh!"

"PIGNITE!" The fire type cried out, being sent flying along the ground, hard from the impact to its stomach. Growling, Natsu gripped at his bruised belly, glaring up through a clenched eye as he began to push himself up again. "Piiig…"

"Wing Attack."

With a loud cry, Swellow rushed at Pignite and lashed out with its wings at the Fire/Fighting type.

Natsu pushed itself up quickly, but not fast enough to evade Swellow's wings, sending the dual type spiraling back again with a loud grunt. "P-piig n-niiite!" He growled out, starting to push himself up again as his nostrils began to smoke

"This might be a little difficult…" Hiiro murmured.

"Nrgh…why'd…you think I sent Natsu out, Hiiry?" The girl grunted out, trying her best to keep her arm from covering her stomach as she cringed.

To that Hiiro had no immediate response.

"If he's going to pull his Pokémon back when we have the advantage, then I might as well not have one," the girl growled, clenching her fists again as her Pokémon stood up one more time. "Let's do it, Natsu…"

Snorting the black fumes from his nose again, the fire/fighting type raised its hand to Swellow, slowly closing and opening his fingers as he grinned out "Pig-Nite", which the Flying type understood as 'bring it'.

Swellow merely watched for a moment longer, before letting out a caw and rushing forward.

Whipping his arms out the last moment, the Pignite took the attack head on again, but before the Swellow could pull back, it had its talons quickly grabbed and tugged on by Natsu as he grinned out digging his feet to the ground "Pignite!

At that move, Swellow gave a surprised squawk, before beating its wings rapidly in an attempt to get back up into the air.

"NOW!"

Grinning, Natsu took another deep breath, before blowing it all out through his nostrils, a big cloud of smoke shooting forth covering the two Pokémon within the middle of the arena, the Smog attack.

"What's that supposed to help?" Hiiro questioned.

The masked girl said nothing, watching as the smog continued to drift about, being disturbed by Swellow's wingbeats. "With Natsu behind it, Swellow's wings are pulling the smog right into its face, Challenger."

"And it's a poison type move"

Gripping her fist again, The girl grinned out "Let em fly!"

"PIGNITE!" the fire/fighting type shouted within the smoke, at once the Swellow's legs were released, letting the Flying type go to the air once again

Hiiro was quiet for a moment longer, before he murmured something that wasn't entirely audible.

Blinking a little, the girl turned around looking to Hiiro curiously "What was that?"

"Nothing… never mind."

Swellow squawked briefly, shaking its head, before turning to Natsu silently.

Snorting, the Pignite stomped its feet, sparking the ground as his limbs caught flames once again as he reared his weight. "Piiiig…"

Swellow remained hovering in midair, before giving a loud squawk as it became cloaked in a harsh light.

"Sky attack huh…FIREROLL!"

Shouting back, Natsu rushed forward as he rolled in himself, covering his rolling body in flames as he smashed into the wall and ricocheted up for Swellow as a living fireball

With a cry, Swellow dived down at Natsu, smashing into the Pignite at the halfway point.

"Nrgh," Ketlin growled out, rubbing her head as Natsu and Swellow clashed, sending the Fire/Fighting type to the ground in its rolled up fire covered body harshly. "Ouch…"

Swellow wasn't any better, though; Natsu's attack sent it smashing into the ground with a cry of pain, where it lay on its back for a moment, trying to get back up, before stirring no more.

"Whew…"

Shaking her head clear, the masked trainer raised her Pokéball, calling back Natsu to her, the fire type falling just the same as the flying type, though Natsu with a big grin on his porky face as she smiled. "Atta boy…"

Io quietly applauded, a small smile on his face. "Very good. One more and you're done," he said, even as Swellow flipped itself to its talons and shook its head, before flying up to the rafters again.

Shrugging it off as if nothing, Kamen Trainer walked off to rest along the wall, giving Hiiro's shoulder a firm pat. "Don't mess up."

"I won't," Hiiro said, pulling out another Pokéball. "Right… let's finish this!" he called out as he tossed it forward.

"Veeee!" Eevee called out hyperly as he burst from the ball.

Whispering something, just enough for the small normal type to hear, Ketlin said "Good luck Eevee."

No sooner had she said that, though, a blur of light brown dashed into the ring, spinning around the Leader's side for a moment before coming to a stop, revealing a long, furry Pokémon with a ring tail, blinking curiously; a Furret.

"Furret… that's Sentret's evolution… this one's gonna be fun," Hiiro murmured with a smile as he briefly adjusted his cap.

"Begin."

Eevee didn't even have to be told twice and immediately rushed for Furret. In response, Furret rushed right back at him. The two Pokémon collided head on and skidded back a bit, before rushing back at each other.

"Glad I'm not linked to that…" Ketlin muttered in a low voice, watching the two Normal types smack into one another again and again.

Just as Furret launched at Eevee again though, the smaller Pokémon dodged sideways. "Now!"

"VEEE!"

**CHOMP!**

Furret let out a yowl of pain when Eevee's teeth clamped shut on its tail, making it run in circles a few times before trying to shake the tiny Pokémon off.

Holding her mouth, the Kamen Trainer only just managed to avoid snickering at the sight of Furret, shaking its tail to try and dislodge Eevee from it. "Okay this is kind of getting silly right now."

"Iron Tail."

At those words, Furret spun so fast that it actually managed to send Eevee flying, making the tiny Pokémon yelp in surprise, before being knocked even further back by the powerful Iron Tail attack.

"Eevee!" Hiiro cried out, but the small Pokémon quickly hopped back to his feet.

"So much for silly…"

"Well, let's not do that again," Hiiro murmured. "Ready?"

"Vee!" Eevee yipped, wagging his tail with a small grin on his face.

Io quirked an eyebrow at the small exchange but said nothing as Furret took a stance of its own.

"What do you two have planned?" Kamen trainer blinked out, a little grin growing on her lips

"Easy…" Hiiro murmured. "Go for it!"

"VEE!" Eevee yipped and dashed forward.

Furret let out a cry and rushed right at him as well.

Hiiro frowned in concentration, and just before the two would hit… "IRON TAIL!"

Eevee spun on his heel with a cry and smashed his tail right into Furret's face, sending the bigger Pokémon backwards with a yowl of pain, skidding across the floor far enough to bump into the Leader's legs. And there, it stayed.

Looking a bit in surprise at that, the masked girl gave an approving nod. "Nice."

"Nice indeed," Io agreed, applauding once again as Furret coiled back up to its feet to settle beside Persian. "Very clever to teach this little one 'Mimic'."

"Hehe," Hiiro chuckled as Eevee ran over and jumped into his arms. "Somehow I had a feeling I'd need that move sooner or later… Glad I did it now, rather than later, though."

Putting aside to ask when he learned it, Kamen Trainer pushed herself up, calling back her resting Pokémon beside her as they slept, patting Hiiro's shoulder in congratulations. "Nice job, Challenger."

"You did pretty good yourself, too," Hiiro quipped, before looking up as Io walked over calmly.

"Well, you two have certainly proven yourself to be worthy challengers," he said, holding out both hands, each one holding a pale blue gem-like badge with a single red ruby lodged in the center, a ring of silver separating the two gems.

Smiling, the girl took the badge silently, flicking it along her fingers before tossing it up to catch it again. "Badge, get."

Hiiro took the remaining badge, pulled his cap back the way it should and held the badge between two fingers while giving a peace sign at the same as he moved his cap down.

Eevee happily bounced around Hiiro's feet, yipping loudly.

Io allowed a small smile. "Both of you, congratulations on your victory," he said, holding out his hand to them.

Hiiro smiled and reached out, and shook the man's hand - and shivered briefly.

Blinking a little, Kamen Trainer smiled, taking Io's hand in her own "Well next time lets not…"

"Hm?" Io glanced to Hiiro. "…Are you alright?"

"…Yes, I'm fine. Thank you."

Frowning a bit worried, the masked girl nodded to Io as she took Hiiro's shoulder. "Next time I'm around, expect another challenge in my visit, that time. Don't hold back or I'll be angrier then a Gyrados." She smirked out, giving Hiiro's shoulder a tug to lead him off

Io chuckled softly. "If you say so, young lady, if you say so," he said as Hiiro hurried after.

* * *

Once outside, Hiiro rubbed his arm. "…So it was true…?" he murmured softly.

"What was Hiiry?" Ketlin blinked out, pulling off her mask and gloves as she finished setting her Pokémon's Pokéballs back along her belt

"Well…"

"Oh! Did you just finish the challenge?" a chipper voice called out suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Yeep!" Ketlin shouted out, quickly whipping a blanket around her from her pack covering the remaining parts of her 'kamen' costume. "Whosaidthat?"

Stopping before them was a boy around Ketlin's age, with short, black hair and bright green eyes. He was dressed in some easy pants with a black shirt and a blue jacket. He carried his Pokéballs with him on his belt. "Sooo… did you win?" he asked with a smile.

"Um… Yeah. You're going for the challenge, too?" Hiiro asked.

"Hmhmm. This one requires 6 Pokémon, right?"

Ketlin Nodded, before blinking as she looked back to the Gym. "Um, you might wanna wait, Io's Pokémon are gonna be a little tired right now."

"Aww… well okay," the boy said with a small pout, before smiling again. "Well! Then I'm gonna train a bit more! Good luck on your journey!" he chirped, before running off with a wave.

"…Who was that?" Hiiro murmured when the boy had left.

"Ugh that was close my heart's in my throat…"

"Well… let's meet your dad on the beach, kay?"

The girl blinked a little curiously, looking up as though hearing something. "…"

"Huh?"

Smiling, Ketlin grabbed Hiiro's arm as she began to rush off, fixing off the remainder of her costume. "Someone wants to call me come on, we need to visit the center quick! This'll be perfect too."

"H-huh? Wha…?"

"You know, 'ring ring ring'."

"I know that! But how did you…?"

"They just told me they wanted to call me."

"…never mind…"

* * *

Taking a seat by the phones, Ketlin looked up the particular phones number, but oddly enough, she was going through the digits backwards. "Aaand…yup that's all of them"

"…Who are you calling?"

"No one silly, I said they're calling me," the girl said, as a matter of fact style, just as the vidphone began to buzz.

Hiiro sighed as he pulled over a chair to settle on, too.

Giggling, the girl pushed the button, picking up their end of the line as the screen light up "Hi hi!"

"_If it ain't the pipsqueak vigilante,_" the other caller chuckled out, the vid showing a young man, a few years over Ketlin and Hiiro's age, but oddly enough he was identical to the girl's father, save his jade eyes, corn blond hair and very pale skin. Wearing a simple white shirt under a dark black jacket and goggles about the boy's head. Looking past the girl, the boy on the video frowned out to Hiiro

"_Oiy who's this runt of the litter…_"

"…Don't ask another's name before stating your own," Hiiro said simply.

"This is Hiiry, he's a new Trainer, papa and me are showing him the ropes. Boy does he need it too" The girl giggled, before nodding to the vidphone's screen. "This is my big brodtar, NJ"

"_Yo, word of the wise you make a move on my little kitten I'll swim over there an kick your rear, Hiiry._"

"It's Hiiro, actually. And I got no intention to."

"Heey what that supposed to mean" Ketlin frowned out

"Do you want me to?"

"_He probably figured ya too much for him to handle_," her brother snirked out, crossing his arm as he nodded. "_How things at Gem?_"

"We're doing good, look I just got a new badge, told you I didn't need Kamina with me! Nyyaii!" Ketlin grinned out, sticking her tongue at her brother's image who just scoffed.

"_Heh we'll see miss tough enough, hope ya not causen pops too much trouble goen you know what._"

"No, not really, we're having more trouble with Team Aether, to be honest."

Blinking at that, the elder boy frowned as he narrowed his eyes on the other side of the screen. "_Team Aether? Ugh this means she's gonna be goen kamen then…_"

"Big broodterrr!"

Hiiro merely chuckled, just before Eevee suddenly jumped up to his lap and onto the vidphone. "Veee!" it chirped at the image of NJ, happily wagging his tail.

"Oh, Eevee!" Hiiro laughed out, reaching forward and pulling the small Pokémon away.

"_Gah, hey watch it little guy ya were blocken the camera_."

Giggling a little, Ketlin blinked pulling up one of her Pokéballs. "Oh, Brodtar I need Mera for a little while"

Blinking, NJ frowned looking around past the screens view "_Eh, what for?_"

"Our next stop is a while away and there's no boats."

Sighing, the teen scratched his head with a slight growl in his voice. "_Gii, fine fine, I'll get her for ya. But when ya guys get to where ya goen, tell the old man he better trade someone in for Hita, she's going bonkers here on us._"

"Okay, thankies!" She giggled, rushing over to the nearest transporter with her Pokéball in hand.

Hiiro watched her go for a moment, before allowing a smile and lightly shaking his head, with Eevee settled in his lap. Said Pokémon watched Ketlin go curiously, blinking a few times as she hurried off.

"_She's sending one of her team over here to take back one of her old ones, little'n,_" NJ said quickly to the curious little Normal type, before nodding to Eevee's owner "These Aethers whoever, their pretty bad?"

"Depends, really… the last guy we ran into was… well… He was crazy, as far as I could tell," Hiiro said, returning his attention to the screen. "However, the guy before that was almost friendly… despite that he warned us about how we had to leave the archipelago since this is a 'holy land'."

"_Talk friendly, but still a wackjob his own right,_" the boy sighed out, blinking a little as something off screen tugged at his arm. "_Ah thanks girl,_" he muttered, reaching down to take up a Diveball in hand as he turned back to Hiiro, fiddling with what must have been the teleporter on his end. "_Just watch Ketlin, if they get extreme again, shell try to 'henshin' an more then likely make things get crazier._"

"I figured… I'll keep an eye on her."

"_Thanks, know how much of a hassle she can be sometimes,_" the teen chuckled out with a shrug, covering his eyes with a hiss as something flashed. "_Grr, gotta get pops to put a stupid tint screen on this thing_."

The other boy allowed a chuckle. Rushing back, nearly knocking Hiiro off his seat, Ketlin grinned out, holding up the Diveball her brother held a few moments ago. "Got her, thanks big brodtar!"

"_Ya can thank me by stayen outa trouble…gah gotta bail Hita's getting into another fight with Sly. Ja ne_."

"Bye bye! Tell everyone we're fine," The girl waved back with a big grin, before giving Hiiro a slight headlock shake. "Ready for a big swim Hiiry?"

"Ack! Ow ow ow! Ketlin, that hurts!" Hiiro hissed out.

"Boy you were sheltered huh, common! I can hardly wait for you to meet Mera, she'll practically eat you up!"

"…I don't like the sound of that…"

* * *

"So… you think those kids will be fine?" asked a casual voice as the Trainer remained lying on his back, a rod stuck in the sand at his feet.

"Hm, hard ta say," came the Shonen father's response, resting along the sand the same as the trainer, an old straw hat resting over his face while his bare feet coiled in the sand, one foot holding along his own fishing rod. "Know my kitten got way too much spirit ta go down easy. But she's got enough pride in herself lately ta not let failure stop her either."

"Hmhmm…" the other Trainer hummed. "They both have a lot of potential as Trainers… they could probably reach the Nova Plateau before long."

"Hehe, makes cha think back ta cha own beginins huh?"

"Hmhmm… and it also serves to help me feel older than I already am…"

"…yeah tha too, ugh wha a pain," The silverhead sighed out, adjusting his hat a bit.

"WHO DO YOU THINK I AAAAMMM!"

"GAAAH!" TJ shouted out, stumbling to sit up as he looked to the nearby dunes, where his daughter was perched proudly crossing her arms with a cheeky grin. "Ugh, cha won then? Seriously don give papa a heart attack Kit…"

Hiiro chuckled a little, before noticing who was with TJ, blinking in surprise. "Mister Choras?"

The violet-haired Trainer pushed up to look back at the kids with a small smirk. "Just Choras is fine, kid. 'Mister' just makes me feel old."

"Oh… okay."

Hopping on over, Ketlin held up a finger pointing to Choras muttering "But you are old."

Choras merely watched the girl silently, before whipping around as his fishing rod suddenly bent forward. "…Hold that thought," he murmured as he stood up while snagging the rod in one hand. With one powerful yank, he yanked out the Pokémon he had hooked.

"W-whoa…" Hiiro choked out at the ease with which Choras pulled the Pokémon to shore.

Seeing the Pokémon, the silverhead let out a long whistle. "Now tha's a catch there, Chor."

The Pokémon hooked was almost as big as Ketlin, and closely resembled the front end of a shark with a yellow X marking on its nose. It tried to struggle loose from the hook letting out vicious snarls as it did, but Choras easily kept him above the sand with only one hand, his other hand placed on his hip.

"Quite…" Choras said simply. "Sadly, I already have one of these, so I can't keep him. Hmm… though I can't of course let him swim this close to shore…"

"Heh cha brother would be jealous of this sharps' size," TJ snirked out to his daughter.

Giggling herself, the girl walked over to the flailing Sharpedo crossing her arms. "Hey, calm down if you want off the hook you."

The Sharpedo, however, attempted to bite at Ketlin instead. As he did, though, Choras snagged onto the rod with both hands. "No need… I got this," he said simply, before he spun on his heel and lashed out with the fishing rod, before swinging out toward the sea, instantly sending the large Pokémon flying off the hook and back the way he had originally come. "There we go."

"Wow… nice throw."

"Thank you."

"What grumps, Chomper's better."

"He tries ta bite us too, Ketlin…"

Grumbling, the girl put her hands to her hips sticking her tongue out. "He's still nicer."

"Anyway…" Hiiro quipped. "Maybe we should get going…"

Blinking at that, the silverhead adjusted his hat with a sigh "Yeah but without big enough Water types…"

Grinning, Ketlin cut in by tossing her Diveball up high in the air. "Fun times!"

Looking in shock, TJ tackled into Hiiro and Choras the last moment as a the flash of light expanded and materialized slamming to the ground nearly on top of them. "GAH!"

"Wha?"

The Pokémon, was pretty big to say the least, the size of an average full grown adult if not bigger, not to say the least round and heavy. Its body was pretty much all round with a deep ocean blue top, with big 'flipper fins' on either side, with a beige underbody. For a face, it had simple beady black eyes, but a big wide grin, which what looked like at first glance teeth as it flapped happily to nuzzle against its Trainer crying out "Wai waii!"

"Uuugh, Mera. When tha heck cha get her?"

Giggling as she patted her large Pokémon, the girl grinned out "Brodtar wanted to call me, so I took the time to call her over."

"A Wailmer…?" Hiiro blinked, cocking his head.

Blinking a bit, the Wailmer, known to her Trainer as Mera looked over to Hiiro for a few moments, before crying out in excitement, quickly hopping over right for the boy

"Eep!"

Before Mera could reach him though, Choras stopped her with his fishing rod. "You'd do well to teach her to not bounce right at everyone, young lady," he said simply. "Last thing you need is for her to do that when she evolves."

"I don't think she could even manage to flap around when she evovles" Ketlin sighed out with a slight giggle, a bigger burst of chuckles coming out as Mera gave Choras a big lick across the side of his head

The older Trainer barely seemed to mind the lick, and actually lightly patted the side of Mera's 'head'.

Ketlin giggled a little, tending to her water type as the older trainer and her friend spoke "hes right though you gotta calm down"

"…Hey, um… Choras?" Hiiro suddenly said.

"Hm?"

"…You've been across these islands yourself, right? Then… do you know if… well if… if the rumors…"

"Surrounding Io are true, correct?" Choras finished when Hiiro couldn't bring himself to formulate the question.

"…Yeah."

For a long moment, Choras was silent, but finally, he nodded. "Yes, they're true."

"…I knew it…"

"Wha's tha rumors?" The silverhead blinked out, fiddling with something in his bag as he looked to the two natives.

The two GA natives glanced at each other for a moment, seeming to consider which of them to tell the rumor, before Choras opened his mouth.

"Io Toraine was killed 30 years ago at the dawn of the Great War."

Hearing that, the silverhead's eyes went wide, dropping the contents of his bag in the process. "…cha mean he's…"

"A ghost? Yes, he is."

"Yup, as a doornail," Ketlin said, as a matter of fact as she nuzzled with her Pokémon.

Hiiro blinked in surprise, looking to Ketlin. "You knew?"

"Hiiry, Ghost types chase me all the time and I can touch them, I can feel ghosts like they feel me," she said with a shrug. "Just…so natural to me and it was kinda obvious I figured everyone in the gems knew about it."

"Not everyone. Most of the current generation don't believe in ghosts, thus they refuse to believe that Io is dead, and the younger ones don't even bother with rumors," Choras said simply.

"…Does he know?"

"…Truthfully, I'm not so sure. He might, but he surely doesn't make it apparent."

"More than likely he doesn't know," the other parent said simply, busying again with some equipment from his bag. "Human spirits tha don' change to a ghost types rarely know, one reason they keep their forms…"

"Or he has something he clings to" Ketlin added, leaving her Wailmer to hop about a bit to look around the beach "one reason I act like I do I guess…"

Choras said nothing to that, before he shrugged. "That… or it's our memories of him that keep him here."

"Oh… you mean like how he said at his speech yesterday?" Hiiro asked curiously. "How people don't die as long as we remember them?"

"Hmhmm."

"Those are kinda rare…for him, I hope so…the others are kinda…sad…"

Choras allowed a small smile. "Perhaps… Oh and I do believe you should get going. The festival starts tomorrow morning, after all."

"Festi… OH! Right! Crystal's annual PokéPark Summer Festival! Starts the first official day of summer and lasts until the end of the season," Hiiro quipped.

"Bingo, kid."

Hearing that, Ketlin and Mera seemed to get even more energetic, if it was possible. "REALLY! MERA! WATER TIME!"

"WAI WAI WAIII!" The Water type shouted with glee, bouncing rapidly across the sand, before crashing down along the water, which unfortunately lead to a big wave splashing right into the group of humans as Mera flapped her fins within the cool waters. "Wai wai wai!"

Choras laughed, having pulled an umbrella to shield them from the biggest part of the water just in time, which he folded up again once the wave had passed. "Watch where you're splashing, little one."

"Whew…" Hiiro breathed out in relief when only the bottom of his pants were soaked.

Shaking the water off her feet, the Trainer of the energetic Wailmer gigged a little. "Ehehe, sorry, but we kinda like festivals…and all these spirits around here been ruining my mood. Let's hit the tides!"

Chuckling as he rolled his eyes, watching his daughter rush for her still splashing Pokémon as she dragged Hiiro along, TJ nodded to Choras holding his hand out. "See cha along the road then, Chor."

"Perhaps we will," the other Trainer said, shaking TJ's hand casually as Hiiro carefully followed Ketlin on top of Mera. "Oh, and do say hello to Zienna for me, will you? I'm not sure if I'll make it before the opening of the festival, myself."

"Will do, Ja ne," the other elder trainer chuckled, following to hop aboard the Water type as Mera began to splash away from shore. "I'll let her know cha doen good with tha girls too!"

"Like she'd care about that!" Choras laughed out after them, before shaking his head and throwing out his rod again as they went. "Interesting bunch."

"Interesting indeed…"

Choras blinked, before turning around in surprise. "Io…" The Gym Leader allowed a small smile as Choras secured his rod in the sand before standing up to face the other man. "…You heard?"

"Yes."

"…You're still here."

"I've no reason to leave."

"…You don't, huh?"

Io lightly shook his head. "Staying here… might not be the best choice for me… or my Pokémon. But… I feel it's well worth it."

"What is?"

"Seeing interesting people such as yourself and those children grow into fine Trainers," he said simply with a small, mysterious smile on his face. "You were already good when you were the one to teach me, and you've only grown after I left."

"Ahh…that just happened," Choras chuckled out, rubbing the back of his neck. "So you'll stay here forever, you think?"

"Forever… hm… that _is_ a long time, Choras… And I'm afraid I cannot say anything about that. After all… time… changes many things…" Io said, turning on his heel and walking away quietly.

Choras watched him go, then looked at the sand. Only his own, TJ, Hiiro and Ketlin's footprints could be seen in the sand (as well as Mera's many impressions). Upon looking back up, the Gym Leader had already disappeared into thin air.

"…yeah…" Choras murmured as he dropped down in the sand. "Time changes everything… whether we want to or not…"

* * *

**NJ is copyrighted to TJ Shonen.  
**


	12. Chapter 11 Route to Crystal Island

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 11: The Route to Crystal Island  
**

* * *

The road to Crystal Island was, in one word; vast. There was a reason why no bridge or ferry ran between Sapphire and Crystal; the distance was too great for a bridge or normal ferry, but not great enough for an actual boat. Many Trainers preferred to either fly to Crystal, or to surf to it. Going from Sapphire was a long way, though so it was best to be prepared before leaving Sapphire behind.

"I packed some sandwiches. Anyone else hungry?" Hiiro asked as he pulled out a sandwich while giving Eevee a small berry.

"Hm, naw thanks for now, but save me one for later," the father said with a small shake of his head, biting instead on a omni-screwdriver as he fiddled with panel like item.

Ketlin grinned out, rolling onto her belly along her massive water Pokémon's head, as the girl was sunbathing a bit. "Sure, arigatos Hiiry!"

Hiiro smiled and handed her one of the sandwiches, tucking the rest away for later while munching on one of his own.

Giving a heavy chomp, the girl smiled at the taste, looking a bit to the sky above as Mera was singing merrily beneath them. "Hmm, wonder if we'll see anymore legends…"

"Well, we'll definitely be seeing at least a few Mewtwo over there… at least I hope so," Hiiro murmured. "I mean, they DO live on Crystal Island, after all."

"So he nested there…" TJ muttered out, hissing a bit as a few gears within the panel jumped at his grip before adjusting them again. "Grr, still wonder how he managed ta get himself chrono-blasted to start a family, least of all around here."

"Well, I'm guessing that two Pokémon might have been involved in that…"

"You mean Cebis?" Ketlin muttered out, taking another big bite from the sandwich.

"That'd be the first… the second would be a Ditto, I'm guessing," Hiiro said with a shrug, munching on his sandwich as well.

Blinking to that, the girl's brows lowered curiously "Ditto?"

"I've seen em do a lot Hiiro, but mimicking Celebi's time manipulation might be even out of their range, no matter how powerful tha Ditto is," TJ pointed out, though looked to a far off cloud as he tapped his chin "But, it could be a possibility…"

Hiiro merely shrugged, before pulling out a map from his bag. "Hmm… that's a long way to go regardless of where we end up…"

"Hm?" Rolling a bit so she ended up lying along the boy's back, Ketlin looked to the map with a frown. "What you mean Hiiry, we're heading to Crystal aren't we?"

"We are," Hiiro said, holding out the map to her. "See for yourself."

The map was of Crystal Island and, needless to say, it was huge. Crystal Island was the biggest island that surrounded the central isle, being almost half that size. However, only half of Crystal Island was inhabited by humans, who had built their city in the very center. And the PokéPark that Hiiro had mentioned before was half the city's size and crossed the gap between the city and the sea on one spot. The rest of the island was filled with grassy plains and a single giant mountain on the south-western side. The most notable feature, however, was the massive crescent shaped forest that surrounded the city and the park.

"No matter on which beach we land, we'll have to pass through Pokémon territory before we reach the city."

"No biggy that's good practice," Ketlin shrugged out with a grin, blinking a little as she thought. "Oh! Um papa, Brodtar said you better get Hita, she's getting kinda crazy…"

"Ugh," The silverhead sighed, sealing off the gears within the device as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Cha mum's probably freaken out too…"

Hiiro blinked a bit at that comment, but chose not to say anything.

"Hita kinda scares her," Ketlin shrugged to the boy, before blinking a little as she looked skyward. "Almost as much as spider Pokémon…"

"Ah… okay."

Holding the device up high, TJ frowned a little looking it over. "Release an retract gears should work now…I hope…patent for this is probably gonna get swiped if I don finish it soon."

Frowning at her father, Ketlin sighed out "You gotta have less inventy headaches and more jack mac funs, papa."

"I can get away with haven fun cause of these headaches, kitten…"

Hiiro remained silent for a while as lightly fanned his face with a folded up piece of paper, seemingly lost in thought.

"Zenny for cha thoughts Hiiro?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing… just… thinking…" he murmured, before proceeding to rip the paper to shreds, which he tucked into a plastic bag to toss away later.

"Hm, alright." The silverhead nodded, before blinking. "Oh, come ta thinka it, Hiiro wha Pokémon did cha manage to find for cha missing team mate?"

"Ponyta."

Going wide-eyed at that, TJ quickly held his hand over to the boy. "Tom's Pokéball back like asap please!"

Hiiro blinked, before handing him the Pokéball. "Um… is something wrong?"

Shrugging, Ketlin went back to laying along her back to soak up some sun, "Tomodachi is kinda jealous of Ponyta's. When Papa first got Hita he really didn't get along with her."

Sighing, the silverhead nodded as he bagged his elder fire type's Pokéball "Unfortunately."

"Ah…" Hiiro said nothing else after that and instead looked ahead of them. "…Oh hey, look!" he called out, pointing. "There it is!"

Blinking a bit, the girl pushed along Mera's back, taking a look ahead to the island. "All right!"

The beach they chose to get onto the island was, to say the least, deserted. Only the occasional Krabby skittered by, but other than that, there were no humans or Pokémon to be seen, though the amount of footprints in the sand indicated that people did come here often. The dunes led up about 5 feet, and a path across indicated the preferred route for people to take.

"Well… here we are."

"Aaah, been a long time since I've ridden on Mera, brings back fun times huh hehe," Ketlin giggled, rubbing her water type's face for a bit before calling her back to the Pokéball. "Hm…kinda…quiet for a beach…"

His arms to his hips, TJ frowned a little looking around. "Figured with water types being tha usual transport here there'd be at least a handful of folk around…"

"Well, most people prefer to travel from Diamond City," Hiiro explained. "The distance is smaller than between Sapphire and Crystal, and there are some who have set up Lapras ferries to get others across."

"Hm, even so still with all the folks back from Sapphire it's surprisenly quiet…kinda unsettlen."

"Meh!" The girl shrugged out quickly, snagging Hiiro's wrist to start to walk off. "Let's just get goings!"

Hiiro allowed a small smile and let himself be pulled along.

Sighing, TJ gave a sharp whistle as he followed, the effect causing one of his Pokéballs within his bag to open, the Arcanine Tom coming out with a loud bark to follow after his Trainer with a grin. "Gonna end up another day I bet…"

* * *

The trip up the dunes was a short one. Once they'd passed the dunes, they came in a small grassy area, a few trees scattered around and the occasional Pokémon moving back and forth across the area.

"Hm, isn't there at least a beaten path around here Hiiry?"

"No, not really. At this point, people tend to scatter this way and that. Most of them are in search of specific Pokémon that live here." Allowing a chuckle, he quipped: "Probably to find a Mewtwo, as well, but they're not on this side of the island."

"Meew, were not here to sightsee for legendaries."

Chuckling, the silverhead ruffled the kids heads, nodding to his fire type as the legendary canine classed Pokémon sniffed around. "Well we might not be Chaz but I'm sure we can find a few things along tha way. Who knows might luck out."

Ketlin shrugged at her father's comment, looking around a bit as she chuckled. "Well, I guess be nice to at least see a baby twoies, wonder if their as cute as Mews thens…"

"Mew?"

"Gah!"

Whipping around hearing that, Shonen pair blinked in surprise "Eh!"

Hovering in front of them, its head cocked cutely, was a small, pink cat-like Pokémon with a long tail that swayed a little as it looked at them. A small "mew" came from its mouth as it moved a little bit in the air.

"Is… is that a…?"

"Tha motherload of tha legendaries…yes, yes it is Hiiro…"

Blinking to the small Pokémon, the young Shonen giggled, walking over holding out her hand. "Hehehe, hey no fair sneaking on peoples, that's supposed to be a Ghost types trick, ya knows?"

The small Mew cocked its head, floating down to hang its face upside down in front of Ketlin's. "Mew?"

Giggling a little, Ketlin tried tilting her own head to match Mew's as she reached her hand up to scratch the top of its head. "Mew mew you too, hehe. Still kinda neats seeing you guys up close."

The Mew blinked once, then giggled with its front paws in front of its mouth.

Hiiro allowed a small smile, before blinking as he looked to the side. "Hm?"

TJ was busy keeping Tom from growling something out, and fumbling in his bag a bit as he watched his daughter and the small catlike Pokémon interact. Noting Hiiro's change of attention, the silverhead blinked out "Eh, wha is it Hiiro?"

Just as he said that, Mew yelped and dashed off - only moments before a different Pokémon smashed down on the spot it had been moments ago, fist smashing into the ground. The Pokémon was a fiery red and looked like a rather lithe bird of some kind, though it had arms instead of wings; a Blaziken.

"That," Hiiro mumbled.

Blinking a bit to the avian Fire/Fighting type's fist that caused the Legendary to dash off, Ketlin frowned out in irritation. "Hey, I was talking to em you know…"

Hiiro looked to where Mew had flown off, he quipped: "It's still here."

True enough, Mew was hovering a little ways away, giggling at the Blaziken. Said Pokémon snarled as its wrists let loose a small burst of flames, before the bird kicked off and dashed for the Legendary, which darted off with a chipper "Mew!" as it went.

"It was still rude…"

Sighing, TJ watched as Blaziken rushed about chasing the legendary as he crossed his arms. "Guess tha lill guy irritated em…"

Just then…

"GOTCHA!" came a shout as Mew passed under a tree, and something leapt down from the top right for the little Legendary.

"MEW!"

Hiiro blinked in surprise as he realized just who it was who had jumped down and snagged onto the Legendary. "Amalia?"

Blinking to that, Ketlin pointed to the girl in surprise as she gawked "Gah, that's your rude Blazey!"

Amalia blinked in surprise upon seeing them, the Mew wriggling free after a moment. "Oh hi!" she chirped as Blaziken walked over, and stood up. "What're you doing here?" Unlike the last time they met, she was now dressed in simple training shorts and a shirt that clung to her chest, as well as a pair of simple sneakers.

"Tha kids here were gonna challenge cha mum, so we kinda surfed our way from Sapphire," TJ muttered simply, watching the Mew curiously before frowning. "Cha…tryen to catch em?"

"Huh? Oh, nah." The girl allowed a grin. "Myra was helping us train!"

"…'Myra'?"

"Yeah, that's her name!"

Mew merely giggled, hovering above Amalia's head.

Giving a small 'ah' in understanding, the other girl Trainer looked to the mew, Myra, in question. "Well, I don't speak Mew but I think I coulda had it in a minute."

"Or come up with cha own nickname…" TJ added in.

"Either or…"

"What were you training for?" Hiiro asked suddenly.

"Trying to beat mom. She beat me… twice."

"…Geez."

"Heheh, same ol Z then" The silverhead chuckled out, rubbing the back of his neck as he blinked, going back to his bag quickly.

Looking to her father for a moment, Ketlin shook her head before turning back to Amalia "So you need speed and reflexys to stand a good chance against your mama?"

"Well, Terrance does… but I always train with him. Mom said it lets me understand my Pokémon better," Amalia said, as Blaziken (or "Terrance", as Amalia called him) folded his arms over his chest.

"Hm…" Ketlin nodded, crossing her own arms as she went into thought. "Guess that means I'll need Nastu for sure…"

"Maybe…" Amalia murmured, hands behind her back. "…Hey, you wanna see our special training grounds?"

"…Special training grounds?" the girl blinked out, obviously a bit more then interested in the offer.

"Is Myra gonna be there…?" TJ asked a bit quietly, nodding the small legendary as he pulled something from his bag.

"Of course!" Amalia chirped.

"Mew!"

Smirking a little at that, the silverhead nodded. "Sounds good ta me"

Hiiro chuckled. "Lead the way."

"Right! Forward ho!" she quipped, pointing down the road - and dashing off with Terrance right behind, though they stopped once they had gotten a certain distance to wait for everyone.

"…Wow, they're fast…"

Hearing that, Tom gave a deep growl, quickly biting onto the back of Hiiros shirt to pick the boy up, ramming his trainer and his daughter to his back as he gave chase.

"Gaaah! Don't mention speed when he's out Hiiro!"

"Sorry!"

* * *

"So… lemme get this straight…" came the bored voice of the woman laying sideways over the arms of a large throne-like chair, her cheek balanced on her knuckles. She was a woman with long, dark purple hair that was secured in a ponytail at the base of her neck, and the long mass of hair was divided into multiple other segments with several ribbons. She was dressed in black leather pants that were split at the center of her thighs and just below her knees, and secured together by four small belts at each split. The sleeves of her leather jacket were in a similar state and they were wider at the wrists. Her shirt stopped an inch above her bellybutton and her shoes were a pair of boots with 2 inch soles. "You're here to offer me a spot in your ranks… fer wha exactly?"

"To change the world… aaaand maybe have some fun defeating some idiots who are in the way…" The man, obviously a Team Aether admin, smirked deviously, almost insane-like. His mask covered three-fourth of his face, leaving only the bottom right corner free, and the mask had a blank expression, so one only had one-fourth of the person's face to determine his mood.

"Uh-huh… change the world… never heard tha one before…" the woman said in a bored tone of voice. "So… how does your boss plan to do that?"

"Well we are after the three legendary beasts, so we can use their powers to call out an even stronger Pokémon… then once we do that… well… the world kinda HAS to bow down to us…" He rubbed his hands together. "And of course the hunt isn't an easy one… we have to beat up several Pokémon to lure these beasts out."

"Pokémon… and their Trainers, I take it…"

"Naturally… even a few wild ones maybe… We are just trying to get as much results… No matter the cause."

"Uh-huh…" The woman barely seemed to be all that interested, before she dropped back with her arms behind her head. "And I should join… why?"

"Well… maybe… we can help you crush your rival gym leader and take her out of bissnuis… making you the only leader of this island."

"…" To that, she had no immediate response, but after a long moment, she said without looking up: "That so?"

"Of course." He smirked. "She is kinda a high target on our list."

"Is she now?" she murmured thoughtfully. After a while, she mumbled: "I'll think about it. Now bug off. I'm tired and I need my beauty sleep."

"Whaaat? Boring… ooh well…" With that said, he turned away and left.

As he went though, he passed by a boy of roughly 14, but the boy said nothing as he passed. Didn't even look up. After the man had disappeared from the room completely, though, he glanced back over his shoulder briefly, before turning back to the woman.

"…who was that, mother?"

"…No one important," the woman grumbled. "If you're here for a challenge…"

"…I'm not. I just wished to know if you'd be joining the festival tomorrow…"

The woman groaned. "Dun feel like it."

"…Everyone is looking forward to it."

"Like I care."

"…"

"I don't."

"…"

"…Urgh! FINE! I'll be there! Now leame be!"

The boy said nothing, before leaving as silently as he came. As he did, though, a small smile crossed his face, though the woman didn't see, of course.

* * *

With Tom making sure the trio of Trainers were able to keep up with Amalia and her Blaziken, they made it through a small forest within 15 minutes. Amalia was barely out of breath from running so much that fast, and Terrance even less so.

"Here we are!"

The area they had come to was at the base of the mountain, below a sheer cliffside. Molten ice cascaded down from above, creating a magnificent waterfall that struck the rocks below and fell into a small lake. Several rocks were jutting out of the water right beneath the waterfall, but their positions left one to wonder if they hadn't been set up by human hands.

"…Wow…"

"Whaooo, now this is the kinda place that gives me the chills," Ketlin grinned out, hopping down from Tom's back, as the Arcanine panted a bit from the rush he put into chasing Amalia, Terrance and Myra.

The girl's father gave his own whistle, obviously more than impressed with the scenery. "Whao indeed Hiiro…this place is amazen…"

"Mew!" Myra chirped happily, seeming to skip along the water's surface, barely touching it with the tips of her feet, giggling happily.

"This is where you train?" Hiiro asked curiously.

"Uh-huh."

"So… what do you do here exactly?"

"Well… …yanno what? We'll just show ya. Ready, Terrance?"

The Blaziken gave a simple call with a nod, briefly rotating his shoulders and walking with Ami to the edge of the lake where the rocks had begun to jut out of it.

Gripping her fist, the Shonen girl grinned out ferally at Amalia's suggestion. "Now you're talken my style, Ami."

TJ, for his part, was busy holding something beside his head, mostly keeping his gaze towards the merry little legendary as she skipped about the water.

Terrance watched the rocks for a moment longer, before squaring his shoulders and placing his foot on the first rock. And without so much as a cry, he stepped onto the next - right under the waterfall.

"Wha!" Hiiro choked out when Terrance showed no signs of being affected by the rapidly flowing water striking him, and instead walked even further ahead.

Amalia was right behind him, walking a little ways until they stood in the center and faced the edge of the lake again. Once there, both brought up their hands and placed their palms together, shutting their eyes as they raised one leg to rest the foot on their thighs.

"Whao, now that's training," Ketlin blinked out in surprise, looking a bit curiously to the Fire/Fighting type. "I haven't seen many Fire types that could even try to handle this kind of training…heck papa only told me about one guy who did something like this before…"

"Isn't that… painful, though?" Hiiro asked worriedly.

Looking over for a moment, the silverhead gave a nod. "Well, yeah a bit it would at first Hiiro, but this kinda trainen pushes tha Pokémon's tolerance to their elemental weaknesses. Some rare cases a Pokémon practically 'evolves' innerly to tha point their element weakness is nothen."

"Seriously…? Wow…" Hiiro whispered, looking back to Amalia and Terrance, before glancing to TJ. "…What are you doing?"

As Hiiro asked that, the thing in the elder Shonen's hand began to give a loud whirling and clicking noises. "Gah!" Quickly tugging along the device, which Hiiro could see was a slightly 'home modified' small camera, the silverhead hissed out. "Shh dangit!"

Hiiro blinked a few times, but remained silent.

"Mew! Mew!" Myra giggled out, spinning above the water and making the water move because of her quick motions.

Ketlin giggled a little herself, tossing up her Pokéballs high in the air releasing her team, minus Mera. "Come on out gang! Time for some training!"

"Huh?"

"Pignite?" Natsu blinked out, stretching his shoulders as he looked about as the other Pokémon gave their own yawns and growls.

"Why not, Hiiry? If we train up like Ami is, our Pokémon can get way tougher."

Pointing to his daughter as he reloaded some film to his camera, TJ muttered out quickly "Maybe kitten, but cha Pokémon wouldn be tha only ones kinda painen from this, it's not really cut out for many Pokémon or their trainers."

"True…"

As Hiiro said that, Ami and Terrance moved briefly to switch the leg they were standing on.

Myra giggled happily, still, before diving into the lake briefly.

Frowning, the young girl crossed her arms with a small growl. "Hm, well, it's not all about what you can take physically ya know"

"Absol?"

Blinking, Ketlin giggled rubbing her head. "Ah, right sorry hang on guys just clear ya minds."

"Mew!" chirped Myra suddenly as she came up from the lake… in a bubble.

Ketlin's team blinked out to the Mew, all looking a little surprised by that as she sighed out "So much for clear minds…"

Hiiro chuckled. "I think Myra is trying to distract everyone in order to see how well they hold their concentration."

"Mew!" Myra chirped with a happy smile.

TJ himself was chuckling lightly, using the camera to take some more shots of Myra within her little bubble.

Sighing, the young Shonen shut her eyes, apparently focusing on something. A few moments after it, her Pokémon all seem to understand something, the newer members to hear team seem to go off elsewhere about the area uninterested, the only one not being Natsu.

"PIG-NITE!""

Hiiro chuckled, before looking over to Ami and Terrance. The duo barely seemed to notice anything going on around them, clearly focused entirely on their training.

Tossing off her slippers, Ketlin hopped on over to the water, Natsu quickly following after her. However, the first few moments in they began to tense up sharply

"EEOOOUCH!"/"NIIIIIIITEEE!"

At that, Hiiro winced sharply, even while Ami and Terrance didn't even glance up.

Hopping out of the water quickly, the pair began to shake off and smack at their legs, trying to get the last drips of water off of themselves in a hurry. "Ouch ouch ouch!"

"You okay?"

"No…I mean yes…I mean…gah that stung!"

Natsu was acting the same, though he began to take a deep breath, quickly bursting his body in flames as he growled. "Niite…"

"Well, maybe you should've taken it a little slower… I doubt Ami started with this right off the bat.

"There's virtually no Pokémon tha can take it to tha extreme at tha bat, least without some oddity or mutation…" TJ called over, filling up another role of film as he shrugged. "Try somethen simpler like water drops or somethen, kit."

Suddenly, Myra blinked as her bubble popped and she let out a curious "Mew?" as something suddenly leapt down from the waterfall's edge to crash down into the water. The resulting splash sent a wave of water at the three trainers, giving them about half a second to move out of the way.

"Yike!"

In a flash, the Arcanine was over, snagging up Hiiro and Natsu out of the waves way, leaving TJ and Ketlin to get splashed and just narrowly avoid the water at the last second. "A-arrc…"

"Gaah, Ketlin did cha let Mera out?"

Shaking the water off of her with a growl, the girl snarled back shaking her head. "No."

At the splash, both Ami and Terrance actually looked up curiously, setting down their feet on the rock they were on for a moment. Myra hovered above the water, head cocked curiously, before sticking her head into the water for a moment. A little later, she came back up and mewled happily.

"What is…?" Hiiro mumbled, as Eevee blinked a few times from his spot in Hiiro's bag (where he'd been resting for a little while).

Tomodachi landed again, putting the Trainer and fellow Fire type down, gasping a little as he caught his breath with a growl. "Aarcanniiiine…"

Giving his Pokémon a pet, the silverhead glanced over to the water himself curiously. "Is it anythen ta worry about…"

Before anyone could respond, a pair of hands shot from the water to snag onto the side and pulled its owner up. Said person gasped briefly for breath before getting back on land. "Urgh… rough ride… dangit…" the person grumbled, reaching back briefly to wring out what looked like a long mass of hair reaching his ankles.

Ami grinned brightly and jumped back to shore, before dashing to the person, with Terrance following casually. "UNCLE ZERO!" she cried out and promptly pounce-hugged him.

"GAKA!" the man yowled as the pounce sent him down to the ground. "Ow… 'Ey kiddo."

"Uncle huh?" The silverhead muttered out, crossing his arms as he looked to the 'surprise guest' curiously "Cha tryen ta give peeps heart attacks?…In Tom's case literally."

"Arc!"

"'Ey you try stopping in mid-slide down the mountain, buddy!" 'Zero' growled out as he lightly pushed Ami off and stood up, moving the goggles on his face up to his forehead.

The man had definitely been dressed for the cold, though not as much as one would've expected of someone going on a mountain hike. The goggles had probably been meant to protect his eyes from the UV rays rather than be classy, even if they were a little cool-looking. However, after a moment, he unzipped his jacket and pulled off the now soaked material, revealing a simple, loose shirt underneath. After getting rid of his entire hiking attire, he stretched briefly, cricking his neck and mumbling something under his breath.

To say the least, he was very muscular, though not freakishly so. His long blond hair easily reached his ankles and was secured at the nape of neck with a long ribbon. Because the ribbon had been wrapped around his hair almost entirely, his ponytail resembled the tail of a lion. His eyes were a sharp blue color, and right then, they were tinged with a bit of annoyance.

"Dammit… one wrong move and down you go…" he grumbled a little, wringing out the last of his gear, before turning to the trio of Trainers and their Pokémon. "So in any case… who're you supposed to be?"

"Grr, I'm Ketlin Shonen, I'll be a legendary Trainer. So you better get it memorized," Ketlin growled out, tapping her forehead as her Pokémon flexed its arms angrily.

"TJ Shonen, Jack Mac," the silverhead said simply with a slight shrug. "Don mind my daughter too much she gets grumpy when her Pokémon get stung."

"Uh-huh," Zero mumbled, reaching back and rotating his shoulder a little.

Amalia reached out and tugged on Zero's arm. "Uncle Zero, TJ-san knows mom," she quipped.

At that, Zero quirked an eyebrow at the girl, before turning to TJ. "Really?"

"Cha really don haveta add tha san…keeps maken me feel older every time I hear it," TJ sighed out rubbing his neck, blinking as the blond looked to him as he shrugged. "We go back, gotta say though I don' see tha resemblance between cha an ol Z-gal honestly…"

"That's coz we're half-siblings," Zero said simply. "Pops was a damn flirt and eventually it went way beyond that. Think he was legally married in four different regions at the same time after a while…"

"Whoa…" Hiiro whispered softly, even as Eevee went back into the bag to nap.

"…tha sad thing is we have a Gym leader like tha back in Kanto, thankfully not as smooth apparently," TJ muttered back, watching as his Fire type went to rest up again. "Erm sorry bout tha quip before, Tom gets grouchy when he's tired an I get grouchy when he's grouchy so."

"Ah, forget it," Zero mumbled, waving the matter aside. "Dive in the lake like that makes me grumpy, too, so whatever."

Sighing a little, Ketlin plucked up Natsu quickly, taking him back to the water, though the pair were working a bit more 'carefully' this time as at best they were dipping the Pignite's fingers in the water.

Amalia giggled a little, before she hurried over to Hiiro. "This is Hiiro, Uncle Zero!" she called out. to the blonde.

"I see," Zero said with a small nod to the boy, who returned the nod quietly. "Well, as you may have figured already, name's Zero. Nice to meet ya."

"Likewise," TJ chuckled, looking around a little curiously. "Gotta hand it though, places for Z-gal to find for a Gym for herself, sure picked a nice looken one. Haven seen an island with spots like this since…hm where was I again in tha orange Islands…"

"Yeah, well people here have always been a little more close to nature than other places I've seen… plus a little more cautious of the amount of Pokémon caught around here. Unlike Orre… THAT was a disaster…

Hiiro blinked curiously. "Orre?"

TJ nodded, looking curiously to the girl's uncle along with Hiiro. "What's that? Don think I hearda tha before…"

"It's a region to the north-west of Kanto," Zero explained. "Used to be a real Pokémon paradise… however, last few years it's been reduced to a desert. There's practically no wild Pokémon left."

"What? That's… how did that happen?" Hiiro asked in surprise.

"Too many Trainers catching multiple of the same Pokémon and never releasing them. That's what."

Frowning at that, the silverhead crossed his arms looking to the ground in thought. "To tha north west…"

Hissing a little with her Fire/Fighting type, Ketlin looked over rubbing her hands. "Papa mentioned a young trainer like that before. Oook something papa?"

"Hm, oh no, Gary Oak."

"Oh, right"

Shaking the thought away, the silverhead gave an irritated sigh "Either way…man…"

"Yeah, we-ah… ACHOO! Dammit! Urgh…" Rubbing his temples, Zero grumbled: "Maybe we should continue this convo back in the city before I die of hypothermia or whatever it was."

In response to that, Amalia giggled.

"Oh, erm…" TJ began, looking about for the small legendary before sighing. "Yeah makes sense, sides, kinda gotta get someone from home before she drives someone nuts…"

Recalling her Pokémon, the younger Shonen nodded, rubbing her now 'sunburned' hand a bit. "Yeah, I gotta send Mera back too for now myselfs."

"Right… now where the hell…?" Zero mumbled, looking around before bringing his hand up and using two fingers to produce a sharp whistle.

Barely a few seconds later, a single Pokémon bounded over and stopped right beside Zero. It looked like a black hound with a set of horns on its head and had a tail with a devil's spike on the end; a Houndoom.

"Good boy," he said simply, scratching the Houndoom behind his ear, making the Pokémon bark briefly. "Right, let's be off, shall we?"

"Sure thing…jus no R-A-C-I-N-G" TJ muttered, looking to Tomodachi as the fire type began to get to its feet again

"Fine by me," Zero mumbled with a shrug, starting to move ahead.

Amalia nodded, as did Terrance, before the girl turned to the lake. "Myra, can you head home and say we're coming back?"

"Mew!" the small Pokémon chirped, before disappearing in a burst of light.

* * *

To say that Crystal City was busy was the understatement of the year. People were bustling all over the streets and nearly made it impossible to walk normally. Thankfully, Zero had a path figured out to avoid the overly crowded areas, allowing them to reach the residential area relatively fast. The houses were simple enough, some of them were two-story houses, but others had only one. The house that they were going to was a two-story one.

"I'm guessing your mom's busy prepping the festival… so she'll probably be late, Ames."

"Yeah, I thought so already…"

Zero silently opened the door to one of the houses, then gestured for the others to enter.

"Boy this place can make you dizzy…" Ketlin muttered, gazing around to catch the sights of all the people, being guided along into the house by her father's arm.

"Jus stick close or cha might get a lill lost in tha crowds, kitten, don think even tha greatest odor sleuth would find cha again."

Hiiro followed the others into the house and looked around.

The place was cozy enough. The place was scarcely decorated, indicating that the place lacked a certain 'female touch'. While that didn't mean it wasn't cozy, it left Hiiro to wonder about something…

"Ain't much," Zero said as Houndoom hurried along the room and plopped down in a basket at the far end of the room to rest in, "but it's works."

Ami plopped down on the couch as Hiiro followed opening his bag and pulling Eevee out of it. Said Pokémon blinked curiously, before yawning sleepily.

"Reminds me of home before Mama, papa kinda stunk at things unless it he was jack-mac'ings" Ketlin said simply, earning an 'eh!' from her father as she hopped onto the armrest besides the other two young Trainers.

Zero merely shrugged and dropped down on one of the chairs. " So I don't decorate much. Sue me."

"Doesn't your wife help with that?" Hiiro asked almost immediately.

Instantly, though, Zero tensed sharply. "Wh…wha…?" he started, before Hiiro held up his own left hand and pointed at it. Blinking, the blonde brought up his left hand, silently glancing at the simple golden band placed around his ringfinger. "…ah. You're a sharp one, kid."

"Yeah too bad Hiiry stinks at riddles."

"Hey!"

Ketlin shrugged at that simply pointing out "It's true, you admitted it I had to help you the last Gym remembers?"

"Yeah, well you don't have to be so… blunt…" Hiiro started, before realizing that Zero hadn't moved and was just staring at his ring. "…um…"

Looking to the blonde for a few moments, TJ cleared his throat a little, before asking "So wha's this bout a festival these parts?"

"Hm?" Zero looked over, before shaking whatever was on his mind off and dropping his hand. "Oh nothing much. 's Just a festival to celebrate summer. I dun think there's an actual reason for it, besides the obvious one to have fun."

"Hehe now I'm liking this place more and more," Ketlin giggled out, rubbing her hands together in excitement. "And your mama is working on this Ami?"

"Uh-huh. Mom works in the park when there's no challengers," Ami explained. "She also sometimes thinks of new games that will be fun! We got log-chopping added this year!"

"Oh yeah, that thing… Chop the logs on the line as they fall to score points. Below the line is less points, above is minus points."

"Hehhe, definitely gonna have to try tha out with Kantar then" TJ chuckled out, rubbing his chin in thought. "Hmm…say, Ami…"

"Hm?"

"Well, was wonderen about…Myra…"

"Papa wants to be all ebil genius like examinings her," Ketlin shrugged out, blurting out her father's upcoming question.

Growling, the silverhead muttered "Stop with those phrasens for a few minutes could cha… "

"Well, Myra lives with us, but she's not really ours… if you wanna call it that."

"Ames found her a few years ago, wounded. Patched the girl up and now the little one sticks around because she's grown to like us," Zero said simply.

Nodding, understanding it completely, the silverhead chuckled rubbing the back of his head. "Oh, figured tha much. Was jus wonderen if cha could ask her for me, kinda iffy with some Pokémon, specially ones tha are still considered wild, dealen with devices an stuff…an I'd hate ta see wha one of tha most renown legendaries could do ta me if she got spooked…"

"Hm… I'll see what I can do."

Just then, though, the door to the house clicked open.

"I'm home," came a solemn voice from the doorway.

Zero blinked, before he smirked and stood up. "Talk about timing… Oswald, in here!"

"Oswald…?" Hiiro murmured curiously, before looking over as a boy around his own age walked in from the hall.

Like Zero, he had blonde hair, but his was a few shades lighter and a lot shorter, lightly spiking back a little. His eyes were a dark blue color and he was dressed in simple black clothes. The boy blinked when he saw the others, before saying: "…I'm sorry, I didn't…"

"Chill, OUT, kiddo," Zero laughed, putting his arm around the boy's shoulders. "Guys, this is my son, Oswald. Oswald, these are TJ, Ketlin and Hiiro."

Hiiro nodded in greeting with a small wave.

Ketlin gave a cheerful wave, adding a peace sign in as she giggled "Don't mind us breaking in your house, kays Ozzy?"

"Trust me on this don argue about tha she won't let those go if Arceus himself threatend ta sit on her…" TJ chuckled out nodding to the boy

"…" Oswald did not respond to the nickname, though, nor did he seem to care. "…Nice to meet you," he said finally.

A small yawn from beside the boy drew their attention to a Pokémon that had been walking alongside him; a black, fox-like Pokémon with red eyes and golden rings adorning its body; an Umbreon.

Blinking a little to the Pokémon, the silverhead chuckled out a little, closing his eyes a bit as he scratched his nose, looking a little lost in memories. "Heh…""

"An umbry huhs?" Ketlin muttered, quickly hopping off from the armrest to kneel beside the Dark type to scratch its chin. "Heheh, guess papa's little research gonna luck outs huhs?"

Eevee blinked a little, looking up to Oswald and his Pokémon… and instantly his ears perked up and his eyes widened in surprise. "Vee?"

"Eevee?" Hiiro asked in surprise.

Umbreon blinked and looked over - and gave its own cry of surprise. "Um!"

"…? What is it, Kuroi?" Oswald asked softly.

But before anyone else could respond, Eevee leapt from Hiiro's lap and ran for Umbreon with an energetic cry, and Umbreon (or 'Kuroi' as Oswald called him) dashed forward to meet the smaller Pokémon halfway.

"Eevee!/Kuroi!"

Blinking a little, Ketlin narrowed her eyes, before looking as wide-eyed as the two Pokémon. "Ah? Hiiry! It's her! Its Eevee's mama!"

"That theory is impossible," Zero said simply as Eevee pounced on Kuroi, the bigger Pokémon hitting the ground with a yip. "For two reasons; first of, Kuroi is barely a little over a year old, and secondly, a boy."

"…Then I guess they're… brothers, right?"

"Most likely."

Blinking a little, Ketlin rubbed at her eyes focusing again with a grumble "Huh, swore thoughs…"

"Cha senses might be a lill scrambled from tha tower still, kitten."

Grumbling, the girl crossed her arms with a pout. "Talk about embarrassing…""

Hiiro allowed a small smile, before looking to Oswald. "Where did you get Kuroi?"

"…I got him from father… about a year ago…" Oswald said quietly.

Looking to Oswald at that, the girl quickly turned her attention towards Zero. "So then Cero knows where their mama is right?"

"…" Zero said nothing in response to that, watching the two Pokémon playing happily.

"Heey, Ceeeeroooooo, where's their mama?"

Growling a bit in warning to his daughter, TJ walked over, muttering a bit low to the blond. "Zero?"

Shaking his head, Zero said: "I only found this little one. None else."

"Slag…"

Hiiro was quiet, looking back to the two Pokémon as they wrestled on the floor. "…Maybe they got separated somehow…"

"Most likely…" Zero said with a nod.

"Musta been somethen up ta separate them from their mother at a young age," TJ muttered out, crossing his arms a little as he watched the siblings play. "Not many parent Pokémon leave their offspring alone without a reason…"

If the two Pokémon were aware of the conversation, it surely didn't show as Kuroi was currently busy with rolling his little brother across the floor.

Shaking it off, Zero moved back to his seat, quipping casually: "So, how's Gwen handling the preparations for tomorrow?"

Oswald blinked curiously, before he nodded. "She is holding up alright… she appears to be adjusting well to life here on Crystal Island."

"Hmhmm… good to know… now stop standing there and sit down, will ya?" Zero laughed.

"Ah… sorry…" Oswald murmured, taking a seat beside Hiiro silently.

Blinking after reaching out to scratch the Eevee brothers' heads, Ketlin looked over to Oswald curiously. "Gwen? Who that?"

"Gwendolyn is… Hm… I suppose you could say she's a future addition to our family," Zero said with a smirk on his face.

"Father…" Oswald whispered under his breath, almost in warning.

"Or, in layman's terms, Oswald's girlfriend."

"Father!"

"Oooh, so she's like our Stars"

Shaking his head at his daughter, the silverhead shrugged, kneeling down a bit to look at the Umbreon and Eevee. "Hmm."

Cocking his head a bit, Hiiro asked: "You said she was getting used to Crystal… is she from another region, then?"

"Ah… yes… she originates from Fiorre," Oswald admitted.

"Fiore? Isn't that one of the regions where they train Pokémon Rangers?"

"It is," TJ said, giving a little playful push on the Dark Eeveelution to roll him on his side to give Eevee a slight playful advantage. "Kinda nice place from wha lill I saw of it."

Hiiro allowed a smile as he watched the two Pokémon roll about, before glancing to Zero's Houndoom, who seemed to not be paying any attention and appeared to be fast asleep.

"On a sidenote, you guys got a place to shack up in for a while?" Zero asked suddenly.

"Shack up…?" Hiiro questioned.

"The center," ketlin said simply, before she blinked. "Oh, gotta get Mera there…"

The girl's father gave a shrug, sighing. "I'll do it, gotta get Hita from home anyway still."

"Chances are the center's already full," Zero quipped. "And if you need to switch Pokémon, you're free to use that," he said, pointing to the corner of the room.

Upon glancing over, they saw a very advanced communication panel/computer, including a teleporter. Obviously, some house in Crystal actually had portable PC's installed.

"Oh tha's handy, Kitten cha Diveball."

Nodding, the young girl reached to her belt, tossing Mera's ball over to her father as he caught it, going to the communication panel to start the process.

Ami blinked a few times, before looking to Ketlin. "Yanno, you could stay with us if you wanna."

"We could?"

"Hmhmm. House's big enough. Right Uncle Zero?"

Looking over as the system began to warm up, TJ quickly called back "Ah we wouldn wanna be a hassle."

"What hassle?" Zero chuckled out, before looking to Oswald. "Would you mind?"

"…No, I wouldn't," Oswald said simply.

"Then it's settled!" Zero exclaimed with a laugh. "Guess you guys're bunking with us for a while."

"Sounds good to me!" Ketlin grinned out, giving Eevee and Umbreon's heads some slightly rough rustling. "Guess that means the lost brodtars can get together longers then."

"Vee!/Um!"

"Heh" Shaking his head, TJ looked over to the two Eeveelutions, taking up the two Pokéballs as they were finally transported in to hand one to his daughter. "Hm, wouldn mind examinen them either, would help…"

"When's the Festival start!"

Sighing at his daughters abrupt change of topic, the silverhead scratched his head. "Heh…"

"Tomorrow at 10 in the morning," Zero said simply.

Just then, a light burst of light appeared in the room and Myra appeared with a cheerful Mew.

Ketlin blinked a little, rubbing her eyes with a frown. "You like flashy entrances huh?"

"That's Myra for you," Zero chuckled out.

Chuckling himself, TJ pulled something out of his bag, putting his newly obtained Pokéball in there in the process as he coughed a bit. "Um, Ami?"

"Hm?" Ami blinked, looking over.

Frowning a little, TJ coughed again, nodding to Myra a bit. "The question…?"

"Oh! Myra," the girl chirped, gesturing for Myra to come over.

The small Pokémon blinked and floated over. Bringing up her hands, Ami whispered something in the small Pokémon's ear. Myra blinked a few times, seeming to think, before letting out a happy "Mew!" and doing a quick somersault before flying in circles around TJ.

"Eheh, take tha as an Okay?"

"Yep!"

Smiling at that, TJ reached out, managing to catch Myra's ear to scratch it. "Thanks, this can help…erm Hiiro, Oswald, er an tha two lill bros here of course." the silverhead chuckled, nodding to the two boys' sibling Pokémon. "Mind I look cha two lill guys over too? It kinda goes with why I'm looken Myra over…"

Scratching the Eeveelutions necks, Ketlin shrugged to them. "Papa thinks you two are the closest relative Pokémon to Mews"

"Kitt!"

Eevee blinked up to TJ from where he was nomming on Kuroi's ear, with Kuroi looking up in slight confusion, before they looked at each other in question.

"Heheh… I don't think they really understand what you're talking about, TJ," Zero said simply.

Sighing, The silverhead scratched his head in thought for a bit before nodding. "I jus basically wanna look cha two over, it's for my thesis lill miss blabber mentioned jus now. I think, it's possible, cha guys are very close to Mew. Since Mews have tha DNA of all Pokémon in them, it's my guess, if it's right, why cha guys can evolve to so many types."

"Veeee…?"

"Hm… interesting theory…"

"Same with Ditto, but I think outta tha pair of breeds, it's Eevee that's closer to Mews genepool. Least it's jus theory for now," TJ shrugged out simply, before nodding to the brothers. "Don worry though, worst I do is probably tickle cha guys"

"Um?"

"Papa just means he'll look you guys over, you know, like visiting the center for checkups," Ketlin shrugged out.

Oswald was quiet for a little longer, before he said: "It's kind of like a 'game'…"

At that, Kuroi's ears perked up and he allowed a grin, tail wagging a little. "Umbr!"

Ketlin blinked, looking to the boy curiously. "A game Ozzy?"

"Veveeee!" Eevee chirped happily.

"…It's not like he's with Snagem, so it should be simple enough…"

"Argh… DON'T bring up those bastards, will you!" Zero growled out.

"…Sorry."

"…? 'Snagem'?" Hiiro questioned.

Blinking at that, TJ quickly looked to the blonds with his eyes narrowed. "Cha ran into those dirtbags before?"

"A criminals group," Ketlin hissed out herself, narrowing her eyes obviously more than ticked at the thought.

"They originate from Orre, actually," Zero said simply.

"Ugh…sorry about them," TJ growled out, crossing his arms with a sigh. "Some of their later dealens were at least some of my fault…"

Hiiro blinked, looking back and forth between Zero and TJ. "Um… am I missing something?"

"Some of the things papa researched and developed with scientists were used by them to do some bad things to Pokémon and Trainers, Hiiry…"

"Oh… I see…"

"Ticks me off thinken things I tried to help with tha mysteries of our world and bonds with Pokémon could be used by those creeps for their own sick ideas…" TJ growled out, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he sighed to calm down

"Jerks like those do anything for themselves, not like you wanted them to do half that stuff papa."

"Thankfully their research was stopped after the Lunar Corporation fell…" Zero mumbled.

"Thank Arceus for tha I guess…" TJ sighed, before shaking it off as he put down some string and other items wrapped in a handkerchief. "Well either way, this kinda research goes right to Sam and his secured research files. Alright cha three, first a basic look up so um, I need one of cha three's paw?" TJ muttered, looking between the siblings and Myra

Myra giggled and floated over, holding out her paw.

"Thank cha," TJ nodded, taking the legendary's paw carefully, running the string along the length of it several ways, obviously getting some measurements as he took out a notepad and began to scribble. "Kay, now for one of cha two then?"

Eevee blinked a bit, before toddling over.

Oswald watched it for a moment, before glancing to Hiiro. Said boy looked over curiously. "…What?"

"…Nothing," Oswald said eventually, looking away.

Ketlin gave a small giggle, hopping on back to the armrest of the couch as her father continued to get the three Pokémon's checkup measurements. "There he goes Jack macings agains…mew? No it's something Ozzy. Speak. Ups" She said the last part with several pokes to the blond boy's sides.

Oswald twitched a little, before he shoved Ketlin aside without a glance her way.

"Waaoh!" Ketlin yelped, losing her balance enough to tip over the side of the couch, though thankfully kept from hitting the floor with her legs gripping the armrest. "Mrrr!"

Zero chuckled, before he blinked and looked outside. "…Rain," he mumbled, watching as drops of water began to fall from the sky.

"Oiy Ket don start things when we're guests. Gah sorry Myra," TJ called over, quickly putting his attention back to the Mew as she giggled, tickled a bit as the silverhead was working on her waist and stomach's measurements.

"Oh, guess Tenki is giving the plants enough water for tomorrow so they don't dry out," Ami quipped.

Pulling herself back up, the young Shonen grumbled, blinking a little as she looked to Amalia. "Tenki? Who that?"

"One of mom's Pokémon," Amalia quipped with a smile.

"Oh, must be a really big water type to rain the place huh…"

"Myra here should be a good example bigger isn always better kitten," the girl's father pointed out, grumbling a little as he tried to get the Psychic legendary's tail length, a not to easy feat with her limb wiggling about. "I'd ask if cha had ants in cha pants but cha don't have pa…"

"Tenki is my Castform," came a casual voice from by the window suddenly, making everyone in the room whip around in surprise.

"Mom!" Ami cried out with a big smile.

Blinking at the voice, TJ looked over quickly. "Speaken of devils tough…"

The woman leaning against the side of the window, umbrella held loosely in her hand had long, pale blue hair that was secured atop her head in a ponytail and separated into multiple segments. She had sharp blue eyes set in a stoic expression, and she was dressed in dark purple pants that were segmented at the center of her thighs and just below the knees, held together by a few chains. Her jacket sleeves were made in a similar manner.

"Yo, TJ," the woman said simply, as a small Pokémon appeared beside her, its head shaped like a giant drop of water; a Castform in its 'rain' form.

"Long time no see, Z-gal."

Zero chuckled even as Zeal put one hand on the edge of the window and jumped into the room effortlessly, settling on the sill for a moment to fold up her umbrella and remove her shoes, which were dripping with water from the puddles she must've stepped in.

"So you really did know the Gym Leaders here papa, guess you weren't jack mac lyens bout that…"

Blinking a little, TJ quickly frowned, giving his daughter a look. "Thanks for believen cha papa…"

"Hehehehe!"

Hiiro blinked a little as she stepped completely into the house, putting her shoes on the windowsill before turning to Ketlin. "…Your daughter, I assume?"

"Hmhmm, lill spitfire she is, unfortunately for me."

"So I noticed…"

Ami giggled a little, but otherwise stayed quiet for the moment.

"What's that supposed to mean, I'm no little spitfire!" Ketlin frowned out, crossing her arms boldly growling out "I'm a great big meteor fireball!"

"…Uh-huh…" the woman said, tucking her bangs behind her ear.

Hiiro allowed a smile, before blinking and squinting slightly at the Gym Leader. '…are those…?'

Blinking a little herself, Ketlin looked to Hiiro, before turning her attention more closely to Amalia's mother to see what he was looking to. "Mew…?"

"So you're here for the Challenge, I take it?" she said suddenly, turning to Ketlin and Hiiro.

"Well yeah…after the festivals!" Ketlin said simply, apparently already off track from what the boy was spotting.

Zero mumbled something like "Oh boy… here it comes…" right before the woman said: "Show me your starter."

Blinking to that, Ketlin reached to her belt, tossing up her Pokéball. With a pleasant, though slightly eerie cry, her Misdreavus materialized. "Deva."

"Misdrea?"

Amalia's mother said nothing in response, and instead stepped around the Misdreavus, walking full circle around her with a passive expression on her face.

"…What are you doing, your making us Dizzy heres…" the girl muttered out, giving a shake of her head as Deva did the same.

"…" The Gym Leader said nothing to that, before turning to Hiiro. "You as well?"

"Ah…y-yes… Um… My starter is Eevee, over there," he said, pointing to said Pokémon.

Eevee blinked curiously, before looking up to the woman. "Veee?"

TJ nodded over to the woman, moving over after finishing with Eevee's own tail measurements as he wrote them down along the notepad.

The woman watched the small Pokémon for a long moment, before she shut her eyes with a snort. "20 and 30%, respectively."

At that, Amalia and Zero winced sharply. "Ouch," the duo mumbled.

"Scues me…" Ketlin said, getting a slight frown at the reaction the gym leaders daughter and brother had in response. "What's that supposed to mean…"

"Estimated success rate of the Challenge," Oswald said simply.

Blinking as she, and her Trainer, processed that, the Ghost type gave an irritated growl to the Gym Leader. "Dreavus!"

"Like it or not," the woman said simply, glancing over her shoulder to Deva. "You cannot beat me with your current skills."

Without another word, she walked back to the window, snagged her shoes and hopped back on the sill to pull them on. Once done with that, she unfolded her umbrella and stepped out.

"If you still wish to test me… I will be waiting," she said simply, and walked away without another word.

"…Typical…" Zero murmured.

"I…you…she…mRRRRRR!" Ketlin hissed out, biting her thumb a bit to try and keep her temper, though from the looks of her, and her Ghost type, it wasn't doing much good

"Right ta tha point, same ol Z-gal…Kit, try an calm down. She is kinda right, she's a tough battler from wha I remember, as a Gym Leader, well…" TJ shrugged out simply

Hiiro blinked, before turning to Ami. "Hey, do you also have a 'success percentage'?"

"Yeah… Right now, I'm on 56%."

"Only 56%!"

"Yeah… But that was after the last challenge, so I'm hoping to up that."

"Terrance is cha starter I take," TJ asked simply, pulling out some popsicle sticks out of the handkerchief besides him

"Yeah…"

Growling, Ketlin simply fumed along the armrest of the chair, crossing her arms as Deva came to a resting float along her Trainer's shoulders, both pretty much mirroring the others ticked expression.

"The problem is…" Zero said, leaning on his knuckles. "Even if you beat sis, you still got Nitira to worry about…"

"Makes sense of cha success rate with tha trainen cha pullen off then," the elder Shonen said with a shrug, tapping Eevee's chin with the stick simply. "Now open cha mouth wide an stick cha tongue out for a sec, kay? Er an if cha think cha about to learn flame thrower or somethen, warn me…" TJ muttered, before blinking. "…Nitira…"

"Urgh… Auntie Nitira is hard too…" Ami groaned.

"Nitira is Zienna's twin," Oswald said solemnly.

"Grrr! Well either way that just means we can kick their butts twice then!" Ketlin howled out suddenly, smashing her first to her palm as she gripped her knuckles. "There's loads more than just looks to how tough a Pokémon and their Trainers are!"

"Ketlin, take it easy…" Hiiro murmured.

"Says tha kitten who thought Z-gal had a Blastoise or somethen for tha rain?" TJ added, lightly pressing Eevee's tongue down as he examined the small Normal type.

"How can I calm down when she gave us only a 20?"

"Um, Ketlin?"

Growling, the girl looked over, obviously fighting down the urge to shout some more "What…"

"Mom gave me 5% on my first go."

"Well it still stinks! Deva's been with me through Three Regions before here!"

Looking over as he examined Myra's mouth and throat, TJ pointed out "And in two of them cha did kinda miserably remember?"

"Besides the points!"

Zero was silent for a moment, before he sighed. "Well, anyway, it's getting late," he said as he stood. "Oswald, gimme a hand fixing up the guest room, will ya?"

"All right…" Oswald said as he stood up.

"Um… do you need some help?" Hiiro asked.

"Nah, we're cool. Oh, are you okay with bunking in Oswald's room?"

"Huh? Oh… yeah, that's fine by me."

"Good. Be right back. Don't wreck the place while we're gone," Zero quipped, before he and Oswald headed upstairs.

The young Shonen continued to growl, her mood obviously not going to lessen at the rate she was going as she crossed her arms a bit tighter than normal. "Mrr…"

Sighing, the girl's father put away his examining tools, giving a small smile to the three Pokémon. "Thanks, tha's about all I can do without being a lill more invasive then I'm sure cha'd prefer." TJ chuckled, holding up a small bag, opening it to reveal what looked like bred like confections, a bit oval and multiple shapes within them to the three. "Here have a poffin cha guys"

The trio of Pokémon each gave out a happy yip of their own and snagged one of the pieces of bread, nomming on them happily. Hiiro allowed a laugh, watching the small Pokémon devour their snacks. After a while, though, he looked outside.

"…those earrings…"

"…what's so interesting bout her ears anyway, Hiiry?"

"…She was wearing a pair of wedding bands as earrings…" Hiiro said simply.

"Eh, no fense but your mama's kinda weird for that Amis…"

"…" Amalia didn't say anything to that, her usual chipper attitude gone and a quiet, almost sad expression on her face.

"Kitt!"

Blinking at that, the girl looked around a bit confused "What? What I say?"

"…" Ami remained silent, but Hiiro sighed softly.

TJ sighed a bit, rubbing his head a little as Ketlin seem to get a bit of the feeling around the air, before blinking a little as he quickly grabbed at Myra to pull to the floor. "Incoming!"

"Mew?"

As the legendary yelped in response, a pillar of flame shout through the window Zienna went through, spiraling around the room before coming to a stop before the children on the couch, surprisingly not lighting a single thing alight as the flames died out, showing the strange Ninetales that carried Hiiro and Eevee through the rain some days ago before the kids. "Niiine…"

"Vee?

"Hey… that's…?" Hiiro murmured in surprise.

"Ugh, Cha coulda knocked Riku-san…"

"Hi hi grampy Riaku" Ketlin muttered out a bit, at the least somewhat relaxed from her anger before as she waved to the fire type

"Grampy?"

The Ninetales, or 'Riaku', gave a small nod, before shaking some water from his back off as he sat before the couch. "Tales ninetales…"

TJ waved a bit, chuckling a little after the shock wore off. "Jus somethen tha stuck with him since I was lill."

Ketlin reached out, scratching the Fire type's head a little as she shrugged "And well if he Papa papa that makes him my grampy rights?"

Sighing, the silverhead blinked a little, quickly letting a meep out as he released his grip on Myra "Oh, sorry bout tha."

"Mew?" Myra blinked, before looking over to Amalia, who still hadn't moved, even at the sudden appearance of the fox Pokémon. "…Mew…?" Floating over, Myra lightly poked Ami's shoulder, but she still refused to move.

Looking to the girl, Ketlin frowned, rubbing her head a little as she sighed out "Gomens Amis…I didn't mean to say that I guess all my guts fire got put through my mouth without the thinking part…"

"…"

After a moment longer, Amalia seemed to come to a decision and stood. "I'm gonna go home… See ya tomorrow," she said softly, and before anyone could stop her, she dashed off.

"Okay, we finish-whoa!" Zero yelped as Amalia dashed past him, out the door and into the rain. "…" Looking back to the others, he asked: "What happened here?"

"…I think I just tasted my heel…"

Sighing, TJ got up from the floor, going over to the blond to mutter a bit hushed what happened.

"…Oh… yeah no wonder then…" Sighing heavily, Zero rubbed the back of his neck. "Guess I should let you know, huh…"

"If cha think it's right," the silverhead shrugged out a bit, blinking before he nodded. "Oh, erm tha's Riaku hell kinda crash here jus a while…"

"Ah." After nodding to the fox briefly, Zero took a deep breath.

"Amalia's father died 10 years ago."

Blinking at that, the girl frowned looking to the floor "Oh…make that my ankles…"

"Sis never fully recovered from that blow, too… She managed to move on, but yeah, it still left a gaping hole here," he said, tapping over his heart. "Ames doesn't really remember her dad, so that's one good thing, but it's a touchy subject with both of 'em. And anything related to it… well, you've seen what happened, I guess…"

"…Then the earrings Zienna wears…" Hiiro murmured.

"Yep. Her and his wedding bands. She had them welded into her ears two weeks after he died, so that she'd never lose them."

"…aw Jeez Z-gal…" TJ sighed out, looking a bit to the floor, before blinking as he heard the front door being opened. "Eh"

"See you guys later…" Ketlin muttered, quickly zipping out the door with Deva in tow before anyone could object.

"…Is she okay?" Hiiro asked worriedly.

The girl's father gave a sigh, shaking his head a bit as he shrugged. "Not really…she kinda will feel crumby like this for a while now…"

"…Well, here's hoping the festival tomorrow will lift her spirits. Anyway, let's head up and I'll show you your rooms."

* * *

**Zero is based off of Zero Omega from the Mega Man X universe.  
Oswald and Gwendolyn are from Odin Sphere.  
Zienna is copyrighted to me.  
**


	13. Chapter 12 Crystal PokéPark

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 12: The Crystal PokéPark**

* * *

Night passed very quickly that day, or seemed to at least. The rain pelting on the roofs provided people with what could pose as a natural lullaby. Halfway through the night, once most people were asleep, the rain ceased, and then it was a matter of waiting for the dawn to come. And that particular day, it came much sooner than it normally would for some people.

At nine in the morning, Oswald's alarm went off, causing Hiiro to groan in annoyance, before wearily blinking his eyes open. He could just see the blonde boy sitting up to shut off the alarm, before he stretched and got out of bed.

"Urgh… morning…" the brunette mumbled.

"…morning…" Oswald said quietly, moving over to his closet to pull out some clothes.

Hiiro rubbed his eyes a little before looking to Oswald. "Any chance I can take a quick shower before heading out? Might help me wake up…"

"Go ahead…" Oswald said simply. "End of the hall on the right."

"Thanks…" Hiiro groaned as he stood up wearily, letting out a yawn even as he walked down the hallway, mumbling about how it was too early in the morning.

Oswald merely shook his head, though a small smile tugged at his mouth when Eevee rushed after his Trainer with an excited yip.

* * *

Meanwhile, Zero finished the last of the pancakes and glanced back to TJ. "Did your daughter come back yet?"

"Fraid not," the silverhead sighed out, looking to the door a bit worriedly as he held some notes within his hands. "She should be alright, Riku-san went a bit after she did so he'd watch her at least…"

"Hm… guess I'll leave these with you then," he said, tossing over a pair of cards.

Catching them, nearly dropping his notes, if it wasn't for his foot catching those, TJ blinked a little looking the cards over. "Hm?"

The two cards were about the size of a Trainer ID card, but each one had a silhouette of the PokéPark on them along with a Pokémon's, which was probably random since both cards had different ones. The lettering on the card stated "PokéPark BP account card" and below that was an expiry date.

"It's a point card for the park. Get enough points on it and you can win pretty cool stuff," Zero explained.

"Hm, didn really think I'd pick one of these up, or need em…"

"Well you don't _need_ one," Zero said, putting several plates on the table. "You just can't get the points without one."

Just then, Kuroi and Eevee bounded down the stairs and dashed into the kitchen, with Oswald and Hiiro following slowly behind, the latter of two using a towel to dry his hair.

Looking to the boys, then their Pokémon, the silverhead chuckled as he pocketed the cards with a grateful nod to Zero. "Cha Pokémon more mornen peeps than cha two are it seems…which is odd seeing one's tha nocturnal type…"

Hiiro yawned a little when he walked into the kitchen. "Gimme a break… I'm not used to getting up so early…"

Oswald was silent as he merely took his seat at the table. Hiiro watched him, before sitting down next to him, rubbing at his eyes a little.

"I'll add it to cha not used to list then," TJ chuckled out, stretching out his joints a bit with a groan. "Ugh, not used to being on cushioned things tha aren't on tha dirt myself though…"

Zero chuckled as he sat down as well. "Well, Sis probably already headed for the park for the last few preparations. So might be best if we headed out after breakfast, eh?"

"Sounds…yaaaaawn… sounds good…" Hiiro got out.

TJ gave a nod himself, looking the notes over some more before putting them down on his lap, twirling a fork in hand as he grinned out "Lets dig in like a Diglett then"

* * *

After breakfast, Oswald headed out first, stating that he was needed inside the park, hurrying off with Kuroi right behind him. The other three headed for the park at a more relaxed pace than the boy had. Already the streets were starting to fill up, so it was a good thing they left early or they would have never made it on time.

"Man, haven seen a city this busy bodied in a while…" TJ muttered, nearly bumping into a passerby as he looked around

"Most of these people are here for the festival, so it's understandable," Zero said simply. "Thankfully, there's a limit to people coming into the city to prevent actual overpopulation. Plus, most people visiting from other cities aren't allowed stay the entire duration of the festival, otherwise other people can't come see it."

"Huh… so there's a certain number of people who can go into the park at once?" Hiiro asked.

"If you want to put it that way, yeah."

"Tha's probably not gonna be good if Kitten stays away for longer still…"

"Relax, you already have a card for her, and I let my friend know she might be later," Zero chuckled. "He handles the admittance for the place, so we're cool. As is Ketlin."

"Ah, heh pays ta know peeps…even if cha didn realize it when cha visit a place," TJ chuckled out, rubbing his head a little as he looked skyward with a small sigh.

Zero merely chuckled, as Houndoom snorted briefly, before he nodded. "We're here."

The entrance to the PokéPark displayed all 6 of the Pokémon usually found on the Guardian Statue on their sign, and special gates surrounded it to keep people out through any other means than the actual entrance. Though at that point, the gates were shut tight, and a single man was leaning against it, seemingly waiting.

"'Ey X! Wake up, buddy!" Zero laughed out as he raised his hand in greeting.

The man looked up through one eye, before he smirked. "Yeah yeah, morning to you, too, Zero," he chuckled out, standing up straight.

Unlike Zero, he had pitch black hair that was short and messy, giving him a 'just rolled out of bed' look. Dressed in loose simple clothing, he seemed like your run off the mill guy, if he hadn't been as muscular as Zero was. He also had a couple of decorative beads secured in his hair, which rested lightly on his left cheek, which seemed to be the only thing that was different about him from other people.

"X? Wha's tha stand for?" TJ blinked out looking to the new face curiously

"Xavier," the man quipped with a smirk. "But most kids can't pronounce that, so everyone calls me X."

The silverhead chuckled with a nod, muttering something like 'know the feeling', before giving a nod to X quickly. "Oh, erm I'm TJ an tha bite size here is Hiiro."

"Nice to meet you," Hiiro said with a small smile.

"Pleasure," X said with a nod, before turning to Zero. "So the other kid didn't show yet?"

"Nah, she'll be by later. Ya can handle it right?"

"Of course," X chuckled out.

"She shouldn be too hard to handle, she might be a bit of…well, a mess."

"I'll manage," X said, before turning to Zero again. "Oswald and Gwendolyn are already inside, prepping their games. You heading in, too?"

"Why the hell not?" Zero chuckled.

"Huh? W-we can go in early?" Hiiro questioned in surprise.

"We can, it's just that most rides or games won't be open yet," Zero said simply.

"Be good ta get a lay of tha land, er park," TJ chuckled with a small shrug, nodding to the young Pokémon adventurer. "Cha ready?"

"I'm ready!" Hiiro said with a nod, a smile playing on his face.

"Hehe, cha know the shame of Ket not being here right now is she missed cha finally being bold voicen."

X chuckled and opened a smaller door beside the gate, allowing the trio of Trainers to enter, with Eevee bounding ahead with a happy yip.

* * *

The inside of the park, was, to say the least, huge. There were numerous attractions set up, some of them were actual rides, while others were more like games. The latter of the two types of attraction had a rule sign on the side, along with a chart to show which Pokémon were allowed to enter the game. There were a few food stands scattered around, as well as a couple of gift shops. The park stretched out for quite a bit, and Hiiro recalled that it ran all the way to the seaside.

"Right, the place is divided in a couple of sections; land, mid-air, air, and water," Zero explained. "Obviously, water is at the sea's edge, right now we're standing in the land section, mid air is to the left and air is on our right."

"Interesten section system," TJ muttered, looking to some of the nearby food stands and games. "An I thought cha could get lost outside…"

"This way," Zero said, leading the way ahead.

Eventually, they reached another game stand, which the sign said was called "Umbreon's Hurdle Dash." And sitting at the entrance, was Oswald, with Kuroi stretching out his limbs a few times, before shaking his body as though trying to get dry.

"Hey lookit who we got here," TJ chuckled out, reaching down to scratch the Umbreon's head a bit. "Getten limber huh there Kuroi?"

Kuroi gave a small yip, his tail wagging for a moment, even as Oswald secured some sort of headpiece around his head. The headpiece actually resembled the ears of an Umbreon, and the coat he was wearing had the same ring pattern as one.

"Heheh, cute look cha got there, Oswald," the silverhead chuckled, before nodding with a slight apologetic shrug. "What's with tha get up?"

"Ah, small gimmick the owners of the place came up with," Zero chuckled. "Those in charge of a game have to represent the Pokémon who's 'running' the course, so to say."

"…In other words… we represent the Pokémon we have by our side," Oswald said solemnly.

"Oh… cool," Hiiro said with a smile, before walking to the rule board. "…Huh. Looks easy enough," he murmured.

TJ gave an understanding nod himself, looking over to the rules as Hiiro muttered about them. "Hm?"

The rules lined out on the board were as follows

* * *

_-Get to the end of the track, trying to avoid all the hurdles  
-Flawless runs will receive 10 BP  
-First place winners will get 30 BP  
-Record breakers will get 100 BP_

* * *

"Does seem a lill easy…" TJ muttered out himself, looking to the boy and his Umbreon questioningly. "What's tha catch?"

"…Only certain Pokémon may enter," Oswald said simply, gesturing to a smaller sign beside the rules.

Hiiro blinked and looked over. "…Oh. So these are the Pokémon allowed to enter?"

"Yes."

"Would make sense that not all Pokémon can enter," Zero chuckled. "Ever seen a Muk trying to run or jump?

"Run, yes…jump mostly they jus go through things." The silverhead grimaced at the thought.

"Point exactly," Zero said with a chuckle.

"What's this about 'record breakers', though?" Hiiro asked.

"…If you look at the Pokémon allowed in the game, you'll see a time set behind it," Oswald said.

"…Yeah, I see."

"If your Pokémon is faster than that time, you break the 'record'."

"Ah."

"Again easy enough it looks like," TJ chuckled, looking over the list. "Hmm…"

"Well, how 'bout we play one game and show you how it goes?" Zero chuckled.

"Might be a good way ta start Hita burnen off tha extra energy…"

Eevee gave an excited yip, practically bouncing on his little feet, making Hiiro laugh. "Ditto on this little guy," Hiiro quipped, picking up the small Pokémon for a moment.

"Right, let's kick it off then," Zero said, nodding to Houndoom.

The Dark/Fire type gave a small bark and walked forward. Kuroi yipped and ran ahead, leading the way onto the course.

Hiiro walked after, then set Eevee down to run after his brother.

"Eh, well was only suggestion…ah wha tha sarindipity why not?" TJ chuckled, reaching in his bag before tossing up the Pokéball he fished out.

Zero merely chuckled.

As the Pokémon materialized, it gave out a rather energetic whiney, it was a fairly big Pokémon, horse-like in shape. Its body a light white, almost pale yellow color with heavy dark hoofs, what set it apart though was the massive flames erupting from its head, neck, tail and ankles, and the thin horn sprouting from its forehead. Ponyta's evolved form, Rapidash.

"Whao whao whao, easy Hita, easy girl," TJ said quickly coming up by the Fire type, rubbing her neck to steady the Rapidash, Hita, from stomping about a bit wildly by the other Pokémon.

"Save your energy for the track," Oswald said plainly, walking over to said track.

The track was a long stretch with several hurdles of what looked like stone set in the way. They weren't that high, but they could give smaller Pokémon like Eevee a bit of trouble. The distance between them was almost ideal for smaller Pokémon, but taller Pokémon might have some difficulty unless they were expert jumpers.

Having seen the track, the fire type seem to get excited again, neighing happily as she nearly toppled her trainer over to start.

"Gah, NJ was right cha are a lill pent up…"

"Um!" Kuroi suddenly called out with a glare at Hita. Once he had her attention, he motioned with his paw to the starting blocks. "Umbr. Umbreon."

Nodding with Kuroi, TJ held the Fire type's head to look at her. "He's right otherwise it's not a fair race. Now behave then run cha heart out cha lill firecracker, kay?"

Settling down, least for the moment, Hita gave another little whinny in response, nodding her head as her Trainer finally let her go to get to the tracks start line with the others. Eevee hurried after, while Houndoom merely walked forward.

Getting to the spot, Hita began to dig her hoof along the ground, obviously waiting eagerly for the signal to start, if only barely waiting at that from how her flaming mane and tail were flickering about

Once they were all set up, Oswald placed his hand on a small switch set at the finish line, which was where he was standing. "On your marks!" he called out.

Kuroi cricked his neck briefly, then crouched down low, tail swaying lightly behind him. Houndoom snorted and placed his paws a little apart. Eevee looked at the other canines, before taking the same pose as Kuroi, though his tail was wagging a little more than his brother's.

Seeing the Pokémon get ready, TJ muttered something quickly fishing through his bag before holding out something to Zero and Hiiro, as the pair looked, they noted that the silverhead was handing them sunglasses before sliding his goggles on. "Trust me"

Not questioning it, they put on the shades, just as Oswald shouted: "GO!" and hit the switch.

Hearing that, Hita's mane and tail flared out almost violently as she rushed along into the track gleefully, thankfully the flames didn't damage anything in the process as she rushed the first set of obstacles.

As she did, though, Houndoom and Kuroi leapt over the hurdles and dashed right past her, the latter of the two running behind Houndoom by a few inches.

Hiiro whistled a little, before glancing to Eevee as he hopped over the hurdle, barely making it over with a small yip, before running ahead.

"Heh, don feel bad for him, least he's given tha good heart effort," TJ chuckled, pulling the goggles off as he sighed. "I jus hope she doesn notice…she noticed…"

Hopping over the next hurdle, Hita's flames kicked up again as she glanced to the other to Pokémon, the act causing her to speed up to catch up to them and their paces, from the looks of it, she was grinning.

"Well, it's supposed to be for fun, right?"

Zero chuckled. "True…"

"Yeah but unfortunately Hita still kinda has an issue calmen down ta avoid accidents for a bit at times…" TJ said a bit worriedly as he frowned.

* * *

"Nnyyaaargh, all that water didn't help my sleepings…" Ketlin grumbled out through her palm, walking a quick pace along the streets. The young Shonen looking a bit rough around the edges, obviously only waking a little while ago as she walked along, looking to her shadow, which for such an early part of the morning was a bit bigger and darker than one would be. "Shoulda let me sleep in more grampy…"

"Need a lift?" asked a casual voice just then, making the girl look over.

Leaning forward on the steering wheel of his bicycle, was a young man of roughly 11, maybe 12 years, dressed in simple black pants, blue jacket, and a red and white cap. He had short, messy brown hair and a set of calm, blue eyes that accented his gentle smile. He had a backpack slung along his back and carried six Pokéballs on his belt.

"GAH?" the girl yelped out, pointing to the biking boy in surprise "ALEX? HOW THE HECK…What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you," the boy, Alex, chuckled out. "I wasn't expecting to see you this far out to sea, Ketlin."

Grumbling, the girl frowned out "What I can't be on a Pokémon adventure this out, I'm old enough…"

"Didn't say that… but given that it's so hard to get here without winning a lottery or through connections, I just wasn't expecting to see you here," Alex said, still smiling at her. "So… need a lift?" he asked again, gesturing to the supports built into the rear wheel.

Frowning a little, Ketlin gave a nod, hopping on the bike quickly as she grabbed onto the boy's shoulders. "Guess so…and I'll have you know my guts so fired up I made my own grand luck, thank you." She smirked, looking to her shadow again, which had now become normal. Shaking it off, she turned back to her rider questioningly. "So which are you, connections, or lottery"

"Connections, I suppose," Alex chuckled. "Where ya heading? The PokéPark?

"Erm, think so…"

"Arrite." Kicking off, Alex started off in the direction of the PokéPark, Ketlin's extra weight barely seeming to affect him at all. "So, did you come alone or is your dad with you?"

"Aw come on he only tagged after me at the last parts of Sinnoh and that was by chance…and yeah he's here…"

"Hmhmm." Alex was silent for a moment longer as he continued to ride his bicycle down the path in the direction of the PokéPark. "…Oh, on a sidenote, you didn't see anyone else from Unova here, did you?"

"Hm, well not really…"

"Ah. Good…" Alex murmured, before pulling a folded piece of paper from his pocket and holding it out to her without looking back. "Because it seems this guy's on the loose around here."

Blinking at that, Ketlin took the paper, before frowning. "Juice is loose? Here? Ugh great…"

"Yep. Looker asked me to come here and see if I could find anything on him here," Alex explained. "And honestly, I hope I manage before Noel finds him…"

Handing the paper back, the young Shonen blinked a bit. "Noel?"

"…Oh, right, you weren't there when we got that idea…" Alex chuckled. "That's the name we gave N a few weeks before I left Unova. It was a bit awkward to call him by just one letter."

"Why's that?" The girl blinked out

Alex shrugged. "It just didn't feel right. Humans aren't numbers, and having a letter for a name comes scarily close to that…"

Ketlin shrugged a bit, obviously not bothered by the idea, then again, given her nicknaming preferences, it was probably related to that reason. Blinking a little, she looked skyward in thought. "Hey…You don't think Juice would try getting other dumberks in a little cult again like he did in Unova would he?"

"Who can say? Though, I'd think he wouldn't. At least not so soon after having been found out," Alex said calmly.

"Hm, guess you're right, probably wasn't that creep then…"

Alex was silent for a moment, before spinning his bike to a stop. "Well, we're here."

"Jeez look at the size of it…" Ketlin muttered as she hopped off, looking around with a frown. "Hmm…Hey Lexicon think anyone mind I climb the statues?"

"You still insist on calling me that?" Alex asked with a chuckle, getting off his bicycle and folding it up, tossing it over his shoulder to click it shut to his backpack. "Anyway, might not be a smart idea… who knows how old those things might be."

"Yes, and that case. Hold still I need a boost," she said simply, hopping on the boy's back without any more warning.

Alex merely glanced back and smiled, not seeming that bothered by the girl's sudden move.

Making sure she had her balance, the girl continued to survey the area, grumbling a bit as she frowned. "Figured papa's head be easy to spots…"

"Well, maybe he's already inside. We could ask the man working at the admittance."

Frowning as she hopped down, Ketlin gave a nod rubbing her neck. "Guess so…though it's not just papa I was trying to see…"

"Hm? Who else?" Alex asked curiously as they started walking to the gates.

"New friend…I kinda said something really stupid and it upset her yesterday."

"Ah…" Alex nodded slowly before he walked to the man standing beside the gate, working on letting a few different people in. "Excuse me, sir?"

The man looked up curiously once he finished. "Yes?"

"I was wondering if we could ask you something…"

"You seen a tall guy with dark silver hair with goggles on his head come in with some peeps, beady?"

The man was silent for a few moments, watching Ketlin for a moment longer… before he smirked. "Then I'm safe to assume you must be Ketlin, correct?"

Blinking to that, the girl nodded as she looked to him curiously. "You sure don't give a psychics vibe…"

"Your dad already said you'd be later," the man said casually. "Zero took him and your friend inside earlier."

Blinking, Ketlin nodded a bit with a chuckle. "Oh, figures. Um since you know Cero, you know Amis, she come in yet?"

"Amalia? Yeah, she's in. Think she went for the sea section with Perriquin. Hold on, I'll check where your dad is at," he said simply, rolling up his sleeve a bit and typing in something on his 'watch'. Alex blinked curiously, but remained quiet as he put the device to his ear.

"Yo Zero, where you at? Got TJ's daughter over here. …Log chop huh? Roger that, I'll send her over." Clicking on one button on the watch, he turned back to Ketlin. "Well, you're clear for entry, kid."

"Thanks Beady," Ketlin said with a wave, heading in a bit before turning back. "Which ways the sea section though too?"

At that, the man laughed. "Sea section is by the shore. Your pops is to your left when you enter the park. You may wanna catch up with them before looking for Amalia so you can get your account card for the park."

"Account card…right thanks gain," she nodded before rushing off

Alex laughed and waved after her. "Bye Ketlin. I'll see you later!"

Blinking, Ketlin turned back, before returning the wave as she rushed off. "I'll stamp Juices face for you if i see him first!"

"You do that!" Alex laughed out.

* * *

"This is intense…" Hiiro murmured, watching almost breathlessly as the Pokémon all got into position.

Kantar, snapping his claws a bit as he flexed his limbs, shut his eyes waiting for the signal to start. "Sciiiiz…"

Above the four Pokémon standing in line on a platform which was roughly 7 feet high, four heavy logs hung suspended by a series of hooks, keeping them in place. Each log was about 4 feet in length had a white line painted on it about 3/4 of the way up.

The objective of the game was to cut right on the white line. The closer you got, the more points you got, but if you cut the log above the line, you'd lose points.

After several tense seconds, the claws released the logs.

As the log fell, the crimson insect spun around, swiping his claw through the log as it dropped, letting it land with his back to it as the cut appeared at the impact, just catching under the white line. "Zor."

Chuckling, the Scizor's Trainer gave Hiiro's shoulder a light smack. "Jee thanks cha got him tensed up kid"

"Sorry…"

"It's a joke, unlike Hita Kantar's relaxed on this stuff, mean its jus a game"

Hearing that, Kantar gave a smirk and shrug, sharpening his claws a bit as he flexed them. "Zor."

Hiiro allowed a small smile, but before he could say anything else…

"BAN-ZAIII!"

Before he could warn, TJ winced as the boy became pounced from behind, by his wayward daughter no less "Hey kitten…"

"Ack! …Hey Ketlin."

"Heheh, missed me?…Ah!" Looking up to her father, Ketlin quickly blurted out "Papa, I just saw Lexicon!"

Blinking, the silverhead chuckled. "Alex? Hehe didn think he'd come here, figured he woulda gone to like Hoen or somethen…"

"Juice broke loose."

"Juice?"

"…not good," TJ growled out crossing his arms as his Pokémon came up beside him. "Her nickname for a criminal we ran into before we came to tha Gems…"

"A… criminal…?" Hiiro questioned, sounding more than a little worried.

"Long story from Unova," TJ shrugged, Kantar looking no less happy at what they were hearing. "I'm guessen he's here if Alex came here?"

"He heard he did," Ketlin shrugged. "All I know is hell get a fire stamp if I see his ugly mug again."

"Um… s-should I be worried?"

"Juice the sneaky type he doesn't do big things for loooooong time," Ketlin grumbled crossing her arms, before helping the boy straighten out again. "Don't worry we'd find him before he'd do anything, if he does anything. I mean, he only just escaped."

"Oh… okay…" Hiiro sighed a little in relief. "That's good… I mean, we have our hands full enough with Team Aether, right?

Hearing the name, the Shonen's frowned, obviously a mix of worry and deep thought in their minds.

"…W-what?

"Nothing Hiiry, and what's this about a card Beady up front was talking about?"

"Beady…Oh, X" TJ nodded, handing the card in question to his daughter. "These, game point holden kinda stuff."

"Yeah. If you collect enough points through the games, you can buy stuff at some of the shops."

"Oh? Hm neat I guess," Ketlin shrugged out, looking over to Hiiro's Eevee, with a slight confused blink. "Er, what happened to him?"

"Hita kept demanding re-races."

Eevee was resting in Hiiro's arm, resting with his eyes shut, obviously exhausted from all the running he did before Ketlin showed up. Zero's Houndoom looked a little more composed, not seeming too affected by the amount of running he'd done.

Wincing, Ketlin giggled a bit at that rubbing her head. "Hehe, guess brodtar was right about her being all going stirred up huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so…"

"Unfortunately" the silverhead sighed out, giving a small chuckle as Kantar returned to his Pokéball. "He was a trouper though."

"'Ey, Kets, glad ya could join us," Zero quipped from behind her, carrying several bags full of what looked like snacks in his arms. "So, could someone gimme a hand before all this stuff bites the dust?"

"Ah gotcha Zero thanks again." TJ nodded, quickly grabbing a few bags out of the blonde's grasp. "Man talk about stocken up."

"Well, given last night, I'm guessing Ami's gonna need this," Zero said, holding out a different bag to Ketlin. "You mind holding onto that?"

At that, the girl looked to the ground, looking a bit lost in the memory but nodded as she took it. "Sure…"

"Ah, don't worry. She'll be fine, but a little extra boost is always good with that girl," Zero chuckled, before handing Hiiro a chocolate bar.

"Thanks," the boy said with a smile, managing to unwrap it with his teeth alone and munched on it.

Just as Hiiro took the first bite, TJ's sack gave a violent shake, before a beam shot out, one of the Pokéballs releasing the creature inside it. With a loud cry, the Pokémon took shape grabbing onto the boy's wrist, taking its own bite from Hiiro's candy bar. The Pokémon was rather small, even by its breed's standard, with pale brown skin tones, a pair of mitt like hands with a single little thumb claw, a rather plump little belly, stubbly legs and tail, as for its face, no one could tell, as it was wearing a skull along its head, gripping in its underarm as it held firm to the boys wrist was a small but sturdy looking bone. "Bone bone bone!"

"Huh?" Hiiro blinked. "Hello. Where'd you come from suddenly?"

"Gah, Ko!" TJ hissed out, managing to pry off the small Cubone from the boy's wrist. "Cha lill devil calm down"

"He does that a lot?" Hiiro asked curiously.

Ketlin giggled as she shrugged. "Ko really only gets clingy on papa, buuut when he smells chocolate…"

Hiiro blinked, before smiling and unfolded a bit more of the wrapping and breaking off a piece with his thumb, before holding it out to Ko. "Here."

"Cu?" rhe little Cubone blinked out, looking up to Hiiro for a moment, then to his trainer, who kept a firm grip of him in his arms. "Bone?"

"Heh, well cha already bit off tha much."

"Cubone!" the little Ground type cried out happily, swiping up the chocolate and munching it with his little tail wagging energetically.

"Heheh." Hiiro allowed a small smile, before munching on the remainder of the bar.

"Well, let's get moving. Got a lot of places to explore, still," Zero laughed, starting to walk ahead with Houndoom.

"Right, lets head to the sea spot," Ketlin said, quickly hopping after the blonde and his Dark/Fire type

* * *

The water section was a combination of attractions and a beach. There were a lot of people who, tired of running around and going on rides or playing games, decided to relax at the beach to catch their breath for a few moments. However, a fence had been set up some distance into the water, so as to prevent the younger children from drifting off too far. As the name suggested, the rides and games were based around water Pokémon.

"Wow… this place is amazing…" Hiiro murmured.

"Certainly gotta hand it to tha people of Gem, they sure now how ta decorate," TJ chuckled, cradling Ko in his arms a bit as the Ground type nuzzled and clung onto his vest.

Without a word, Ketlin quickly hopped on Hiiro's back, holding her hand over her eyes as she looked around with a frown. "Now where…"

Just then, Zero lightly tapped a finger on Ketlin's arm and, once he had her attention, he pointed a little to the side.

Standing by the side of one of the games, which was called "Gyarados' Aqua Dash", was Amalia, and she was watching the course intently, flexing her hands every now and then.

"Ah!" Quickly hopping off from Hiiro's back, Ketlin rushed on over, blinking as she skid a bit to look at the course curiously.

No sooner had she done so, or a single Pokémon rushed past with speed matching those of professional swimmers. The Pokémon looked much like a duck, facial wise, but its body was more humanoid with fins on its hands and feet, allowing the Pokémon to swim amazingly fast; a Golduck.

"You're almost there, Perry!" Amalia shouted, running after him as the Pokémon continued along the course. "Just a little more!"

The Golduck gave one, simple call, and increased his efforts, his arms moving so fast they were almost a blur.

"That's one fast quacker…" Ketlin muttered lowly, keeping her space from Amalia for the time being as her father and the others caught up.

Whistling himself, the silverhead nodded. "Tha's a fine example of a Golduck, his sheen is as sharp as his swimen strokes."

"Bone bone cu cubone!"

"Cha'd look a lot better if cha laid off all tha junkfood cha lill porker," TJ snirked at his ground type, tickling at Ko's belly earning a few giggling yips from him.

"Heheh. He's always been a good swimmer, even as a Psyduck," Zero quipped.

Just then, there was the sound of a party popper going off, signaling that Amalia's Golduck had cleared the course by crossing the finish line.

"YATTA!" Amalia cheered as Golduck promptly kicked off against the shallow water's ground at the finish, landing a little beside the girl. "You did it!" she cheered, before holding up her hand.

"Gol-DUCK!" the Pokémon cheered as well, slapping his hand to his Trainer's in a 'high-five' gesture.

Adjusting his grip on Ko, TJ began to applaud with a chuckle. "Nice swimmen there"

At that, Ami and Golduck (or Perry, as Ami called him) looked over in surprise, before Amalia grinned. "Oh! Ohayo minna!" she chirped with a wave.

"Golduck!" Perry quipped while flashing the group a quick V-sign.

As her father and others gave their own hellos, Ketlin went up besides the girl, grabbing her arms a bit to turn her to face herself as she took a deep breath. "I'M-REALLY-SORRY!" the young Shonen shouted out a bit, bowing so deeply it was a wonder she didn't smash her forehead into her feet. "I said some really stupid stuff last night I shoulda kept my big trap shut, Gomen!"

Ami blinked a few times, watching the other girl for a moment, before she said: "Would you stop that?" When Ketlin looked up, Amalia smiled. "I'm not upset. I just needed some time to think. That's all."

Ketlin continued to bow for a moment, before getting up with her own wide grin. "Okay!"

"That was quick…" Hiiro murmured softly, before speaking up louder. "So, I guess you're taking it easy today from training, huh?"

"Eh? No way! I'm still busy training!" Amalia exclaimed, to which Perry crossed his arms and nodded.

"Anythen can be training, Hiiro," the silverhead nodded, looking to the girl and her Golduck. "Even a game, if cha focus and try hard enough."

"Really? Wow…" Hiiro murmured.

Ketlin looked to the other girl's Water type, looking thoughtful for a bit before muttering simply "Ya really don't look like a Perri to me…"

"His is name is Perriquin. But I call him Perry, for short," Amalia said with a smile.

"Duck!" Perry quipped with another peace-sign.

"Then he really doesn't look like a Pertiquilin."

At that, Zero laughed a little, shaking his head softly. "Esh, kiddo, would ya chill already."

"Tha sad thing is Zero, this is her chillen," TJ chuckled out a little, rubbing his head as Ko looked to the girl curiously from his arms.

"Oh, right here, your uncle Cero got you some snacks," Ketlin muttered, holding the bag up to her, curiously looking to its contents while she did so.

"Oh! Sweet!" Ami chirped, accepting the bag and pulling out a few pieces of candy, popping one in her mouth and handing one to Perry. The Golduck didn't say no to that and popped it in his own mouth with a happy quack.

Chuckling, the silver haired Shonen walked a bit closer kneeling down to get a better look to the Water type. "Gotta say Ami, cha sure know how ta raise cha Pokémon. Don' think I've seen a Golduck in such great shape before."

Though a little surprised at the sudden attention, the Golduck merely gave a small grin, before getting a whack from his Trainer. "Hey, no getting cocky!" she said.

"Gol."

"Hehe, she's kinda right, sides half tha smirk should go to Ami since she helped getcha this tough, ne?"

At that, Perry blinked, before nodding with a big, goofy grin on his face. "Golduck!"

"Heheh."

"On a sidenote, any idea where your mom's at, Ames?"

"I haven't seen her yet today…"

"Weird, wasn she involved in this big time?" the silverhead blinked out.

"Oh she is… it's just that seeing her is a game in and of itself," Zero said with a grin.

Ketlin's brows frowned, looking to the blonde questioningly. "Don't tell me she's doing a hide seek big game prize thing…"

"Not sure if you can call it 'hide and seek', since she's always in plain view, but that's the gist of it. She and Nitira should be 'round the park somewhere."

"Ugh, I hate those games."

As the group spoke, a voice from behind them growled out "Stop belittling the goddess Zienna!"

At that voice, both Zero and Amalia tensed, and Perry actually glowered. "Oh no…"

As the group turned to look, they came face to face with a young man, who was a bit slender and tall, but obviously kept himself well. With purple mid back flowing hair and amber eyes, which were currently frowning at them, he wore a simple, if a bit overly dressed for this side of the island, tie undershirt, business pants and shoes, an overshirt slung over his shoulder, and a simple, somewhat ancient like designed earring along his left ear. "How dare you make light of her as if you are so close to her, for shame!"

Blinking at him, TJ turned to Zero a bit flatly. "Who's this joker?"

Zero groaned and rubbed his temples. "Dammit Gui, you show up everywhere, don't ya?"

"But of course, my goddess' grand festival how could I not pay tribute? Though who are these to say ill of her brilliance and skill for entertaining the simple masses!"

"Oiy, I donno cha deal Quilikin but I'm an ol bud o Z-gals."

"Forget it, man, that guy's thicker than five stacks of bricks stacked alongside each other," Zero grumbled out, making his Houndoom snort.

"Can't you just leave us alone, you jerk!" Amalia cried out angrily, while Perry made a motion as though rolling up sleeves.

Hiiro frowned a little, but said nothing.

Growling himself, Gui crossed flicked his hair a bit posturing. "Hmph! As if the goddess would ever muddle herself with ones as dirty as yourselves."

Ketlin gave a deep hiss, adjusting her feet as she began to grind her flipflops into the ground. When Hiiro spotted it, he noticed the pose she was taking from her Gym battles alongside himself. "Riderrr…"

But before Ketlin could finish that, something smashed down onto Gui's shoulders, drilling the man's face into the ground.

Zero blinked, before mumbling: "Speak of the devil…"

There was no mistaking about the identity of the person sitting on top of Gui's shoulders, despite the metallic-like suit she wore. Her eyes were covered by a pale blue visor of some kind, barely hiding her eyes, which was connected to a set of metallic 'ears' that arched up atop her head. She wore a pair of gauntlets with only three fingers on the glove parts, making her place two fingers together. Her legs were donning a similarly styled boots that reached her knees easily, though the black, curled rods that came from the heels made her stand on her toes almost the entire time. The rest of her suit was covered by a light silver suit, except for the stomach, which was dyed a light purple.

"Eash we keep runnen inta Mewtwos round 'ere don' we?" TJ chuckled, shifting Ko so the little Cubone could hang a bit in his grasp to look ahead.

"Very funny, TJ," Zienna snarled out.

Groaning a bit, Gui began to pick his head up, grinning a bit goofily as he sighed. "A-aah the goddess graces me, I feel so moved."

At that, Zero and Amalia groaned, facepalming at the exact same moment.

"Kick," Was all Ketlin let out, giving a quick roundhouse right across the purple haired man's face, knocking him back down as she skid her feet along the earth again with a growl

"Stubern guy ain't he…"

"Like no other…" Zienna growled, leaping off of the man's shoulders and somersaulting back - and as she did, her ponytail snapped out and snagged onto Gui's ankle.

Once Zienna had landed on her feet, she spun around several times, yanking Gui up and spinning him around and around in the air, before her ponytail slackened its grip on his ankle and sent him flying - right into the waters of the beach.

"Such a nuisance…" Zienna grumbled.

Seeing the move, the silverhead gave an approving whistle. "Nice 'seismic toss' there Z-gal."

"Cuuboone," Ko responded, looking a bit surprised, and confused as he tilted his head, wondering if the woman in front of them was either human or Pokémon, apparently.

The woman chuckled casually, reaching up for her hair, or more specifically, the ribbons that segmented it. "You got no idea how long I spent trying to figure out how to manage these little buggers."

"…Dude I wanna try that," Ketlin muttered out herself in awe.

"W-wow…" Hiiro murmured.

"Erm I'm pretty sure cha wouldn be too good with these kit, stick with cha rider fighten," TJ chuckled out, looking a little worried.

After a moment, Amalia stepped up. "Mom."

Zienna glanced over silently.

"I think I'm ready to try again!" the girl said firmly.

"Golduck!" Perry agreed with a firm nod.

"…That so?" Zienna asked slowly. "…Show me."

Without a word, Amalia pulled out her Pokéball and released Terrance from it.

Zienna looked the Pokémon over, silently, and put her hand to her chin as she walked around the Pokémon in a full circle. The Blaziken did not move and merely awaited the woman's verdict on the chances Amalia now had.

Hiiro watched a little anxiously as Zienna gauged the Fire/Fighting type carefully, unconsciously holding Eevee a little closer to him.

Ketlin watched a bit, frowning a little as the mother appraised her daughter's Pokémon a bit curiously. "…"

After a long moment, Zienna finally stopped and just stared the Pokémon down. Terrance did not look away; just stared her down evenly without any signs of backing out.

And finally, the woman's lips quirked up into a smirk and she said simply;

"85%."

Hearing that, Ketlin gave a little growl in response. "Just 85, he can practically swim like her Golduck!"

Putting a hand to his daughter's shoulder, TJ muttered "Easy kit…"

"Then I will see you when you are ready… Though not until the event has finished," Zienna said simply, just before kicking off against the ground, sending her a good 7 feet into the air and leaping away without another word.

Once she was gone, Amalia and Terrance blinked, before the two shared a small grin. "Booyah!" Amalia chirped. "Now those are odds I like!"

"Blaz./Golduck!"

Hiiro allowed a smile. "So you're going for it, then?"

"Hmm… later. Right now; let's go have fun!"

Ketlin frowned a bit, before shrugging. "Okay…ugh, are there Ghost types round here…"

"Maybe in the Ghost House, but otherwise, dun think so."

Growling at that, the girl muttered something, starting to walk off. "Well, let's just go then…wonder what be good for my team round here…"

"Well… ? Huh…?" Blinking for a moment, Amalia squinted a little ahead of them.

"Amalia? Are you okay?" Hiiro asked in concern.

Looking to the girl, TJ looked ahead, following her gaze. "Hm…"

After a moment longer, the girl grinned and recalled both her Pokémon, before taking off on a run.

"A-Amalia!"

Zero frowned, before he laughed. "Oh I see what's up…"

"Haven seen someone move tha fast since a ticked off Seviper chased a sentry."

"MAERYN!" Amalia cried out, before promptly pouncing on a boy of roughly her own age, sending both of them into the ground.

"Oof!" The boy groaned briefly, before propping up on his elbow and resting his cheek on his knuckles. "…Hello Amalia…" he said dryly.

He was a boy with cornblond colored hair, the left side of his bangs hanging in his face as loose streaks while the bangs on the right had grown in a curve because of how they'd been constantly tucked behind his ear. His eyes were a dark gray-blue in color, and they seemed… rather empty. He was dressed in some easy, dark clothing, and he carried a bunch of Pokéballs on a belt secured around his chest.

"Huh, who's this?" Ketlin blinked, looking to the currently flattened boy along the ground

Amalia giggled as she climbed up to her feet. "This is Maeryn. He's my cousin!" she chirped.

"…" Maeryn merely glanced at the small group, and said nothing in response to the minor introduction.

"Um, Hi, I'm Ketlin" the other girl smiled, giving a little wave. "This is Hiiry and that's my Papa."

"TJ," the silverhead chuckled with a nod.

"Hiiro," the boy corrected Ketlin with a small smile.

"…" And yet again, Maeryn remained silent.

"…you don't talk much huh May-may?"

"…"

"Tha would be a yes…" TJ chuckled out a little nervously.

Amalia giggled. "Righto! Let's go!" she chirped, grabbing Maeryn's wrist and practically dragging him along.

"Ah! Amalia! Wait up!" Hiiro called out, hurrying to catch up.

Ketlin blinked a little, before shrugging, rushing after the rest with her father and group in tow. "Not without us ya ain't!"

"Heh, she certainly got more pep in her tha sudden"

As the group rushed off, another person watched them go in silence, dressed in a similar style as Zienna had been, only slightly different.

Her suit was the same shade of silver as Zienna, but the purple coloring was a dark blue instead. Pulse her visor was a dark purple.

"…Ch."

Without another word, she kicked off and left.

* * *

That evening, rain was falling once again. And again, Zienna was standing outside in the rain, her Castform dancing in the air happily as she stood sheltered under her umbrella, apparently lost in thought.

As she stood there, a coin dropped by, landing with a small clatter next to the local Gym Leader's feet. As she looked up, she saw the silverhead TJ, a sleeping Ko in his arms resting under his vest as he chuckled. "I paid, so, mind given me cha thoughts?"

Zienna watched him for a moment, before she chuckled with a small smile, bending down to pick up the coin, tossing it back over. "It's nothing to concern yourself about, TJ."

"Maybe." The silverhead shrugged as he caught the coin, coming to stand beside his old friend to watch her Pokémon play about with the weather. "Still though…don wanna push but…about cha an Vent…and…well."

"What about him?" Zienna mumbled.

"Well…not sure how ta tread on this," TJ sighed, rubbing his neck with a free hand. "Given it's kinda…sensitive talk about stuff…"

"…" After a moment, she mumbled: "Zero talked, didn't he?"

"…" The silverhead nodded, if only begrudgingly "Ketlin kinda…upset Ami last night an it kinda related…"

"…I see." Again, she remained silent for a long moment, before she sighed. "…What do you wanna know?"

"Well…from beginning…with how…'he' was like…wha happened…erm an how cha meet this Vent guy I guess."

"…Dan was someone I met after you and I went our separate ways," Zienna said quietly. "We traveled together in Hoen for a while, before I had to return home in time for the Challenge with the Representatives. Dan went with me and, eventually, we ended up getting married."

At that point Zienna paused, before she sighed.

"Unfortunately, he had a problem with his heart and died on the operating table before he could receive a donor heart."

Hearing that, the silverhead looked down, only lightly patting the sleeping Cubone in his grasp. "…I'm sorry…Zienna…"

"Don't be. There was nothing that could've been done about it…" Zienna said solemnly. "The surgeons did all they could… but sometimes, doing your best just isn't enough…"

"I know…" TJ nodded a bit solemnly, looking about to the raindrops about the ground. "Still, wish coulda got ta meet em at least…how'd cha hook with Vent?"

"We've actually known each other since before the Great War," Zienna said simply. "We just didn't see each other much after I left the archipelago on my journey. After I came back, we met up again and, well… one thing eventually lead to another…"

TJ smiled a little with an understanding nod. "Guess I can relate, though my own one things, came in a very surprisen an small package…"

"Oh?"

"Yeah, our at tha time ta-be-born son"

"…You didn't know?"

"Lill more complicated then tha," TJ chuckled, looking a little confused at the memory himself/ "Let's say, Mewtwo wasn tha only one who got a lift by a lill green guy."

"…Esh."

"Hmhmm," the silverhead shrugged a little uneasily. "Guess fate likes playen around with people's heads…gotta admit cha did a great job over here."

"Thank you," Zienna said with a small smirk, before looking up to the skies for a moment.

Matching her gaze, TJ watched the clouds quietly for a bit, before saying a bit simply "Shoulda fibbed an gave Ketlin a better percent then cha did."

Zienna smirked. "Maybe, but that wouldn't have set her to do the amount of training she did today in order to improve that score, would it have?"

"Oh, without a doubt," he chuckled, looking to his old friend with a shrug. "Problem is, she's a lill spitfire naturally. Hates being belittled, but…loves beaten tha odds even more."

"That's good," Zienna said with a smirk, turning to TJ. "That's the type of attitude I like to see in challengers."

"Well with her, tha's an abundance," TJ chuckled, looking a little worried still though. "I'd swear her parents were Azelf and Mesprit sometimes"

At that, Zienna allowed a laugh, before sobering up. "…Speaking of challengers…"

Blinking, the silverhead turned following his old friends gaze "Eh…"

"Follow me," she said, walking off slowly.

Nodding a little, the silverhead followed, tugging on his vest a bit to keep his sleeping Ground type covered.

* * *

A little later, they stopped before a billboard/map sign of some kind… and Zienna blinked in slight surprise. "That's strange…"

"What's up Z?"

"…There was a poster right here," she said, tapping a section of the billboard. Clearly, like she had said, there must've been a poster there at some point, but now, only two of the corners were left, taped to the board. "…And I could've sworn… …no, never mind," she said finally, shaking her head. "I was probably just imagining things…"

Frowning a little, the silverhead rubbed his fingertips along the edges of the remains of the poster, muttering. "Hmm…wha was it for?"

"Missing kid. Ran away from home, apparently," Zienna said solemnly.

Blinking a little to that, TJ frowned out "Who'd rip tha kinda poster off…"

"…Not sure." Turning to TJ, she said: "Though I was a little surprised at who the kid was."

He looked to her a bit, frowning at the tone in her voice a little, looking to the ground he muttered "…starten ta get a feel of things now…"

"Actually, he's the son of someone you might remember from Kanto."

Looking up at that, TJ's eyes narrowed some more. "Who…"

"The kid's name…" Zienna said slowly, "was Lionel Oak."

"Ah!"

"Yes… Gary's son."

* * *

Laying along the guestroom floor of Zero's home, Ketlin sighed, her eyes looking this way and that in deep focus. "Hmm, well since Terry had to beat his weakness, guessen Zeenas Pokémon close to Water types. Clora and Thorn would be good for those, ne papa?"

Looking up from the edge of the bed, having been in a deep thought for some time, the silverhead nodded "Hm, yeah guess so…"

Nodding as she held out her belt, the girl released her Pokémon, all of them going to lay on the floor, or at least her belly in the Corsola's case as she began to go over tactics with them.

TJ smiled a bit to his daughter, turning his attention to the pillow along the bed, which his Cubone was sleeping on, as his mind wandered. 'Jeez…wha tha sarindipity am I gonna do…Sam would probably understand a little…but still then, it's Gary tha'd be tha biggest issue…'

Just then, there was a soft click from down the hall, which was followed by muffled footsteps, probably because the person was walking on their socks. The footsteps moved past the door and headed down the hall and down the stairs.

"…Was tha Hiiro?"

Blinking a bit, Ketlin looked up from talking with her Pokémon. "Um, I think…my senses aren't completely back yet still…"

Nodding, the girl's father got up after a moment's thought. "Kay, gonna grab a snack, cha guys want somethen?" he chuckled, getting quite a few requests, which took a minute for Ketlin to translate to him. "Kay, jus a nano." He nodded, walking out of the room to downstairs, frowning a bit once he had closed the door behind him.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, though, TJ could faintly pick up the sound of the buttons of the communicator being pressed. After that, silence for a long time, then Hiiro's voice whispered through the silent house: "I know you're awake, old man… so pick up the damn phone…"

Hearing that, TJ mentally sighed, leaning against the wall as he shut his eyes, focusing on his hearing for the moment.

As TJ did that, Hiiro's voice said in a tone that the silverhead didn't recognize from the boy: "Took you long enough to send out the damn flyers, didn't it, old man?"

Normally, the other side would not have been audible to someone eavesdropping on a conversation, but the person on the other line was loud enough to be heard at least a little bit.

"_Lionel! What the heck were you thinking?_" shouted a voice that was more than a little familiar to TJ, despite that the owner of the voice had aged quite a few years since they last time they'd met. "_You're in no condition to be running around! Get your ass home right n-_"

"To hell I will," Hiiro…or "Lionel" said coldly. "I'm not coming back, old man."

Hearing that, confirming his suspicions, the silverhead gave a silent sigh, and an equally silent chuckle at 'Hiiro's' response to the voice on the other end. 'Guess cha kid got some of cha mouth, huh Gar…'

"…I don't care," the boy said solemnly. "You expect me to come back after everything you did?"

Blinking to that, TJ looked a bit through the corner of his eye curiously, putting his best focus to keep hearing both halves to the conversation

"You expect me to be happy being cooped up inside the house? You never let me do anything. Heck, you never even let me outside to catch ANY sun! Have you ever looked at me before! I look like a damn ghost compared to everyone else!" the boy nearly shouted, but he kept his voice down, since he probably assumed that everyone was already asleep.

"_That's because of your condition! You're in no-_"

"Then what IS my condition?" the boy demanded. Silence answered him. "Thought so… You never answer me when I ask you that. Never. Yanno, maybe if you'd ever bothered trying to TELL me what the heck's WRONG with me, I wouldn't be so upset at being held in a cage!"

"_Cage? You little-Do you have any idea what I had to go through to ensure your safety! I did all that for you, you brat!_"

"BUT YOU NEVER ASKED ME WHAT I WANTED!"

Silence.

The silverhead gave another silent sigh, looking to the ceiling as everything went quite for the moment. 'Jeez, Sam this part of cha family really needs work old friend…wait, Gar was hardly tha best at science but what if he…'

"You just decided on your own what was good for me… YOU kept deciding everything I could and couldn't do. YOU also determined my limits without giving me the chance to do ANYTHING!" Hiiro cried out. "You damn well took me away from mother despite me saying I wanted to stay with her!"

"_Leave your mother out of this!_" Gary's voice called out over the phone. "_She has nothing to do with this!_"

"Then why didn't she come with us!"

"_…_"

"…You know what? Whatever, forget it. I don't care anymore. But you're not stopping me. I'm going to continue with this path I've decided on and I'll challenge all Gym Leaders of the archipelago!"

"_What? NO! You can't! If you do that, you'll DIE!_"

"…I don't care," Hiiro snarled. "Even if this ends up killing me somehow… at least I won't die like a damn Pidgey in a cage. Don't expect me to call again. Ever. Good-_BYE_!"

With that, Hiiro slammed down the horn on the communicator with a loud clang, panting for breath.

Hearing that, TJ remained where he stood for a few moments, before giving a gentle sigh as he shut his eyes. Taking his own breath, giving a serious face for a moment, the silverhead finished walking down the stairs, for Hiiro to see as he stood for a few moments. "…Lionel Oak…"

At those words, Hiiro tensed sharply, before slowly looking over to TJ, his face stricken with panic. "H… how… how did…?"

"Zienna's tha Gym Leader, she'd know about runaway kids along with local police stations," the silverhead said simply. "I figured cha were one beforehand…didn't think cha be Sam's great grandkid though."

The boy said nothing to that, merely stared the man down, before his expression became one of silent defeat. And yet he said nothing.

Looking to the boy, the silverhead scoffed with a small grin, nodding to the kitchen. "Mind helpen me out in here a min? Ket an her team are brainstormen, so they're starven for snacks for tha big fights tamorrow. Might as well fuel cha team up too for it too. Z-gal's a tough fight after all."

Hiiro was silent for a moment, before he mumbled: "Yeah… sure…" before walking with TJ to the kitchen.

Going into the cupboards, TJ chuckled a little as he shook his head. "Hiiro, relax. Always thought cha dad was a punk anyway. Guess helpen cha do wha he doesn't want cha ta do is a two for one for both of us."

"…Oh…" Hiiro murmured.

Starting to set up the snacks into bowls and plates, TJ looked to the boy for a few moments, before turning serious, patting his shoulder as he spoke. "Hey, cha were willing to go on this adventure anyway with no backup from cha dad…and no starter which alone was a bad idea…" He muttered the last part with a tense shrug. "But, cha were gonna do it. Kitten would kick my butt if I even thought about turning cha over to him again…frankly, don' like how he talked to cha much either. I mean, he was a punk as a kid…now he's jus an old creep, it's kinda embarrassing ta know he's Sam's grandson."

Hiiro didn't respond to that. He seemed much too preoccupied with other thoughts.

Letting him think for a bit, TJ went back to fixing the snacks, before groaning at a thought he just had. "Though…I gotta ask…"

"…what?"

"Please tell me it was Gar who named cha an not cha mum," TJ blurted out simply, groaning with a slight frown. "Cause when we meet her I seriously wanna look to her with some manner of respect. It'll be hard enough knowing she married him without that name to add to it."

"…" Hiiro was silent, before he said simply: "I don't know…"

"Oh…well till then let's jus blame Gar then, it'll help me tha's for sure…An Hiiro? If cha ever wanna talk, jus say so kay?" the silverhead added the last part, patting the boy's shoulder a bit as he spoke understandingly.

The boy looked up at him for a moment longer, before a small smile formed on his face. "Kay… thank you…" After saying that though, he asked: "Hey… um… could you… not tell Ketlin about this? I… I don't want her to know me as… THAT… I just… I just want to be 'Hiiro' from now on… that's all I want… to be who I choose to be…"

"Hm?" TJ blinked curiously, fixing some bread together as he did so. "Whaddya mean? Cha an this Lionel kid identical cousins or somethen?"

Hiiro blinked a few times, before he managed to laugh lightly. "Never mind… let's just get up before these snacks go stale."

"That or Natsu tries cooking himself. I swear him an her mindsets match way too weirdly sometimes," the elder Shonen muttered with a shake of his head, picking up some of the plates before heading up. "Common, Hiiro."

"Coming!" the boy called out, hurrying after, clearly feeling much better than he had a moment ago.

* * *

******X(avier) is based off of Mega Man X from the Mega Man X universe.  
Gui is based off of a similar named character from 1/2 Prince.  
Alex is copyrighter to me, but he's supposed to represent the hero of Unova along with N.  
Maeryn and Nitira are copyrighted to me.**  



	14. Chapter 13 Zienna of Crystal

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 13: Zienna of Crystal**

* * *

Zienna's Gym was, needless to say, different from most others, since it was not on the mainland, but was located 2 miles off the shore of Crystal, and in order to reach it, you had to play the ride called "Pidgeot's Air Glide".

There was one problem, however…

"Only one of us can go?" Hiiro asked in surprise of the girl standing by the ride's entrance.

"I'm afraid so," the girl said simply. She had to be about Hiiro's age, and like the other gamehosts, she wore a headpiece that looked like the feathers of a Pidgeot and had two wing-like sleeves attached to her dress. Her light blonde hair was secured behind her head in a decorative bun. "Zienna only allows one person to challenge her at once."

"Wow..been so long since we've soloed a Gym I guess we kinda forgot that's how it's done huh Hiiry..?" Ketlin blinked out to the boy beside her.

"I suppose so..." After a moment of thinking, Hiiro turned to Ketlin. "So... you want to go first? I can try to take on Nitira in the meantime."

Looking ahead, the girl frowned out before nodding "Yeah, sorry, but I definitely still got that Cubone to pick with her"

"No problem. Good luck."

Ketlin gave a nod, responding the same as she turned to the girl. "So how I do this ride then?"

"Do you have a Flying Pokémon of your own?

"Er..not..'yet'."

"Then I will lend you my Pidgeot." Gesturing ahead, the girl said: "The course revolves around passing through the rings suspended in the air. However, you are only allowed to glide, so you have to do the steering yourself. The yellow rings are worth 10 points. The red rings are worth 100, and the rainbow colored rings are worth 1000. You have to reach 10.000 points to be able to enter the Gym."

"Aerhn. Y-yeah," Ketlin muttered, heading up to the Pidgeot a bit nervously.

The Pidgeot silently lowered itself as she walked forward. As Ketlin settled on the Pidgeot's back, she noticed the reins secured around its neck.

Taking them a little uneasily, the young Shonen muttered "Maybe I should have taken papa's Poké'riding lessons.."

"In the event that you glide to low, Pidgeot will come back on her own," the girl said calmly.

"It's not gliding low that I'm worried about," Ketlin grumbled, taking a breath as she shut her eyes for a few moments, before opening them again, seemingly getting her determination back in full moxy. "Right let's get some points!"

"Very well," the girl said with a nod, before lightly patting Pidgeot's neck

In response, she spread her wings and ran forward, then kicked off and began her glide toward the Gym.

"WaaaaaaaaahooOOOH!"

Hiiro watched quietly as Pidgeot merely allowed herself to glide, clearly waiting for Ketlin to steer her in the right way.

'Get a grip you've been through worse spaces, kitty,' the girl mentally growled to herself, taking a firm grip on the lead before giving a few careful pulls, watching how Pidgeot responded to them. 'Okay, can do this..where's..Ah!' Spotting a ring a bit ahead, Ketlin began to steer the Flying type for it. "10,000, can do this"

* * *

Pidgeot extended her claws as they approached the platform, before she landed carefully. "Pidgeooot."

"Ugh, okay so some of it wasn't my best moves..but then again I guess you Flying types know how it is to get the crash courses in flying huh?" Ketlin sighed for a bit, before hopping down a bit wobbly. "Wah, jet-legs.."

As the girl approached the door, a counter above it read "11.350 points", before it slid open with a soft hiss.

Blinking at that, Ketlin shrugged off, walking in with a slight grin. "Heh, guess I wanted some leeway with my points ..damn where can I.."

However, as Ketlin entered the room, she noticed she wasn't in the clear yet.

While she could see the battlefield from where she stood, there was no visible way to get there.

"..Uuugh," the young trainer growled as she crossed her arms, obviously better than irritated. "Why must Gym Leaders always.." Blinking to the side a bit as she shook her head, Ketlin's brow quirked, making her way to a sign. "Hm?"

The sign held only two words on it;

* * *

"_Have faith_"

* * *

Frowning at that, the girl looked to the battlefield, before shaking her head, walking behind the sign. "Henshin for now.." she muttered, pulling something from her pack as she got behind the cover of the sign in question.

After a minute or two, the girl came out, slipping on the last of her costume, her mask, on her face as she stretched out. "Alright Kamen..have faith..eyes say there's nothing there.." She muttered to herself, before grinding her heels along the ground. "Faith asks you to shut your eyes and believe..I believe in myself with eyes open," she growled, before going right for a run, right for the battlefield, and the big gap between her and it.

As she rushed forward, many watching her would have expected her to drop down, but instead, her feet smashed down on the invisible bridge that had been there all along, connecting the entrance to the battlefield.

Ketlin, or rather, Kamen Trainer didn't bother to even look down, her eyes behind the mask focused on one thing, the battlefield, her goal. As she got to the last legging, she kicked off the ground, spinning a bit in the air as she went into a somersault cartwheel before landing by the center, her hand and finger pointed high as she called out "GYM LEADER OF CRYSTAL! KAMEN TRAINER, CHALLENGES YOU TO A BATTLE FOR YOUR BADGE!"

"There's no need to raise your voice," Zienna's voice called out from above.

Upon looking up, Kamen Trainer spotted the Gym Leader hanging from a series of rods hanging from the ceiling, upside-down no less. Without a word, the woman snapped her legs off and spun a few times before landing on her feet on the ground. As she landed, it also became obvious she was still donning the suit she'd been wearing in the park the previous day.

Rising to her feet, the Gym Leader crossed her arms over her chest solemnly. "So... you came."

"I intend to knock through all of the Gyms within the regions I stand, it's not going to be any different here, Gym Leader," Ketlin said herself, crossing her own arms with a fiery grin.

"So you say," Zienna said simply, unfolding one arm and snapping her fingers once.

Barely a moment later, a single light purple fox-like Pokémon dashed forward, its split tail swaying as it stepped forward.

"The rules are simple; 3 Pokémon each. First to KO all three of the opponent's Pokémon wins."

"Classic rules, fine by me," the girl responded, looking a bit to the Psychic Eeveelution as she began to take her stance, but seemed to stop for a second apparently in thought. "..."

Zienna said nothing. She merely waited.

'Thought she would have Water types..Ami and Terrance tried so hard to get over that weakness...and I wanted to fight to beat her the normal way still?..' Shaking her head, the girl hopped a bit, quickly alternating her feet into the stance before whipping out her leg, sending the first Pokéball flying. 'I won't live with myself if I don't beat the odds!'

As the Pokéball flew out, the beam of light burst out, forming the robust Fire/Fighting type Pignite as he stomped the ground. "PIIIGNI...nite?" Natsu blinked, looking back to his trainer curiously, but quickly grew into a grin as he snorted staring down the Espeon. "PIIIIG-NIIIITEE!"

Espeon merely watched silently, not moving otherwise.

"...Kari, be ready."

"Esp."

"Armthrust!"

Rushing right for the Eeveelution, Natsu began to rapidly shoot out his palms for the Psychic type. "Nite-Nite-Nite-Nite!"

However, Zienna lightly tapped her fingers on her arm - which caused Espeon to start dashing around Natsu rapidly, managing to avoid each of punch aimed at it.

'Grr, damnit I hate running into things that can topple Natsu's speed!' the masked girl mentally growled, focusing a bit as her Pignite continued to thrust for the Espeon.

Just as he reared back for another thrust, the dual Fire type aimed down at the last moment, smashing the floor under himself and the Espeon, Kari, sending bits of the floor flying as it exploded on impact

Unfortunately, the Espeon-or Kari, as Zienna had called her-jumped backward easily, her eyes watching each of Natsu's movements. But before Natsu could make another move, Zienna moved one of her fingers over the sleeve of her jacket, and instantly, Kari rushed forward and smashed into Natsu, sending the Fire/Fighting type rolling backwards.

"PIG!"

"Nrgh!" Ketlin hissed out, rubbing her head as Natsu managed to dig his palms int he ground to stop himself. 'D-damn, Natsu, they're reading our body language to tell where we're going!'

Kari merely turned her head around, cricking her neck a few times, before her eyes suddenly flared a dark purple color.

"..Uh oh"/"Pig-nite.."

The Psychic attack slammed headlong into the Pignite, before it completely immobilized the Pokémon and lifted the Fire/Fighting type off of the ground without Kari showing the slightest bit of effort at all.

Natsu and his Trainer, both gave signs of distress and struggling, the pair gritting their teeth tightly as they snarled at Kari's attack.

'D-dammit, I..we Can't move or hit them like this!'

Zienna said nothing about the move her Espeon pulled, nor did she say anything to Ketlin. She merely watched silently, even as Kari's eyes narrowed and the force of the Psychic attack increased.

"P-piiiIIIIGGG!"

Starting to wobble on her knees, the masked girl growled out, shaking her head repetitively. 'D-dammit..!'

Snapping his eyes open, the fiery pig struggled some more, pulling his body in close on itself, before starting to spin faster within the air. "P-!"

Steadying herself again, Kamen trainer clenched her fists and teeth tightly snarling out. "Faster!"

In response, the Fire/Fighting types speed picked up, rapidly rolling faster, moments later beginning to spark and ignite with flames in the air, starting to shake up within the Psychic attack's grip.

Kari frowned a little, but kept up the Psychic attack, though she was at least a little struggling with keeping Natsu trapped like that.

"Faster!"

"PIGNITE!" The pig responded, body spinning more as the flames completely enveloped Natsu's body, turning him from a Pokémon simply in Rollout, to an all out rapidly spiraling ball of inferno being held by Kari's psychic powers.

Kari gritted her teeth, still trying to keep Natsu trapped - until Zienna lightly turned her foot. In response to that, Kari abruptly released the Pignite and braced herself.

As the telepathic grip was released, the fire/fighting type came rushing to the ground, smashing with surprising power, but not into the Espeon as expected, rather, right into the ground. Nearly the moment of impact, the Psychic Eeveelution quickly found a wave of rubble being ricocheted blasted right for her, either super heated or outright on fire by Natsu's flame covered body.

Unfortunately, all the rubble flying toward Kari was ricocheted on an invisible shield of some kind.

'Ugh..that hurt. Dammit, all that energy wasted on a three combo move for nothing,' Ketlin mentally growled, rubbing her head as her Pokémon leapt out of the hole, body still encased in flames as he snorted angrily.

Kari merely stared the other Pokémon down, her tail moving a little behind her, but otherwise, she did nothing at all.

Ketlin gave her head a few more shakes, fixing her mask to keep it from getting tossed off in the process as she growled a little looking to the Psychic type.

Natsu straightened himself out again himself, getting back to his feet as he snorted some flames, trying to get his breathing straight again, obviously more than just worn out from that. "Piiig.."

Zienna watched silently, before briefly wetting his lips - and the second she clucked her tongue, Kari shot forward and rushed straight at Natsu.

The Pignite stumbled, preparing for impact as something seem to cross his mind, stumbling a bit on his footing as he did so. "N-nitte!"

But only a second before the impact, Kari swerved left and kicked off against the ground with a sharp cry, smashing her head right into Natsu's side.

Yelping out, the Fire/Fighting type was sent rolling along again, stopping only a bit thanks to its head hitting the floor a little. Shaking himself a bit, Natsu began to push himself up again, panting heavily from the prior damage catching up to him. "Nnniiiiite.."

Kari watched Natsu for a moment longer, before shutting her eyes. But then when she opened them again, there was a mysterious glow emanating from them as she trained her gaze on her opponent.

"Pig..? N..nite.." Natsu muttered, the energy seemingly starting to drain from him completely, before he hit the floor, snoring.

As her Pokémon had done though, the masked trainer quickly hit the floor, also snoring, though only about half as loudly as her Pokémon. "Meew...zz...

Zienna merely shook her head, before she briefly snapped her fingers... causing a burst of water to suddenly land on the girl's face.

"Blahw!" Kamen Trainer burst up, shaking her head coughing a bit to get the last of the water out of her mouth as she looked around in surprise. "Gah?"

"Your first Pokémon is defeated," Zienna said simply. "If you have no wish to forfeit, call out your second Pokémon."

Giving a deep growl as she picked herself up, the girl recalled her Pokémon as she got into her kick stance again. 'Darn it Natsu, never look a Psychic type in the eyes when they're up to something!' Shaking it off, Kamen Trainer released her second roundhouse, sending out the prickly cactus Pokémon. "Let's go!"

Giving a battle cry, Thorn growled, staring down the Espeon ready to fight

Espeon was silent and merely stared the small Pokémon down evenly. Zienna remained silent, before rubbing her arm again with a finger. In response, Kari's eyes flared with the by now familiar glow of her Psychic attack.

Ketlin growled in response as she saw the Psychic types eyes glow, Thorn in response swinging her arms out harshly, the Cacnea's barrage of thorns launching out for the Espeon.

Upon seeing the thorns rushing at her, Kari switched initial targets to stop the thorns from hitting her.

As the attack left the poison sting barrage in the air, the Grass/Dark type came from above, smashing her thorny arm down hard on the Espeon's head. "CAC-NE-AAA!"

"ESP!" Kari yowled out in pain as her head collided with the ground, before she quickly jumped away, shaking her head to get rid of the stars in her eyes. "Essss..." she snarled out, but she stopped that when Zienna briefly rotated her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, the Espeon exhaled slowly, as though getting rid of her anger, before staring down Thorn again.

Thorn in response, was giving the Psychic type a Cheshire grin, wiggling her shoulders a bit in response. "Cac-neeee-aaaaa," practically she sang out as her Trainer matched the motions of her shoulders.

Kari frowned darkly, but chose not to respond. Instead, she placed one front paw forward and moved the opposite hind paw back, briefly extending her claws to 'get a feel' of the surface beneath her paws.

'Okay, her Psychic type move can deal damage..if she toughened up her weakness her attack would still hurt the others too, but..'

Snapping her shoulder as Kamen Trainer snapped her neck, the dual Grass type rushed forward for Kari, arms whipping about like windmill propellers. "NEEEAAAA!"

Kari, however, merely staid rooted to her spot, watching Thorn approach in silence. But just as the other Pokémon came in range, Kari kicked off into the air, making the Cacnea pass under her. The second she did though, Kari's eyes glowed and she suddenly dropped back much sooner than she should have.

As she began to come back down though, Thorn smashed her arms down into the ground, sending her flying back as she did leaving the Espeon to hit the ground instead. But after a second look, the psychic type saw several purple colored thorns stuck to the ground along where she landed "Cacnea!"

The Espeon cried out as her feet hit the ground and the thorns, leaping back rapidly, trying to remove some of the thorns stuck in her paws. However, the poison had already started working its way into her system, causing Kari to wobble on her feet as she tried to put some more distance between her and the Cacnea. The look on her face said that her condition was not looking too healthy, though.

Grinning, Kamen trainer clenched her fist as she pumped it in front of her face. "Hit it!"

Taking a deep breath, the Cacnea brought her arms in front of her, thorns gathering a purplish mist before sending it like a blast of water for the psychic type. "Cacnea!"

Kari tried to leap out of the way, but the poison already in her system made her movements sluggish and she wasn't fast enough to move aside in time. The attack hit her dead on and sent her flying backward with a pained cry, landing on her side not too far from her Trainer, where she lay, trying her best not to whimper in pain.

"...You've done well, Kari," Zienna said softly, as her hair moved on its own again, producing a simple Pokéball and recalling the Psychic type.

Ketlin let out her own breath, slouching a moment or two as she gripped her arm, hissing a little at the bruise she sensed under the sleeve of her bodysuit 'ugh, yeah I know that hurt the both of us..'

Zienna was silent, shutting her eyes for a moment, before she called out: "Taiyo."

A few seconds later, her second Pokémon descended from above. Though in all honestly, it looked more like a floating hunk of rock than an actual living being. It was shaped like a sun, and its eyes appeared to be shut halfway; a Solrock.

'Nrgh, another Psychic type..'

Tensing for a few moments, the grass type began to growl, glaring so much that, if it was possible to hurt someone with looks, the Solrock, Taiyo as Zienna had called it, would be well knocked out right then. "Caaaaccneeeaa!"

Taiyo, however, merely hovered, not moving much except for the occasional bobs up and down.

"Nrugh," Ketlin growled out, shaking her head a bit as she looked to her Pokémon in confusion behind her mask. "Thorn..?"

Without a word from her Trainer, and from the shocked look the girl gave her, Thorn rushed for the Rock/Psychic type, smashing her arms this way and that between needle arm attacks and poison sting. "CACNEAA!"

Solrock, however, simply hovered aside, not the least bit affected by the smaller Pokémon's outburst.

"Gah, Thorn, dammit calm down!"

The grass type didn't listen though, instead swinging her arms in any attack to land on the dual type, eyes burning angrily. If one didn't know otherwise, you could have sworn Thorn was a Seviper glaring at a Zangoose.

Zienna watched it for a moment longer, before she moved her fingers across her sleeve.

Immediately, the prongs on the side of Taiyo's boys began to glow, before they burst into flame. Without so much as a noise, Taiyo begin to spin sideways in place, becoming a flying disc of fire, before rushing towards Thorn.

The grass type glared at the flames, suddenly rushing headlong for it smashing her thorny arm into the ground as she ran right for the Solrock. "NEAA!"

"DAMMIT THORN STOP!" Ketlin shouted out, for once, not even flinching as her Grass type became engulfed in flames; she and her Pokémon weren't linked.

Taiyo did not let up however, its prongs striking the ground as it continued to spin, becoming a massive spinning wheel of fire, which started to rush around in circles around Thorn, leaving a fiery wall in its wake.

Thorn still shoved along, smashing right into the flames as she swung her arms for the dual type, the flames catching all around her arms in the process of her attacks. "CACNEAAAAA CAAAAAAAAAC!"

Unfortunately, Taiyo moved out of the way, its eyes glowing - before a series of rocks materialized and slammed into Thorn barely a second after they had been formed.

"CAACNEAAA!" the grass type hollered, smashing her fist around through the flames around her and the stones trying to rush Taiyo again, but from the sluggish motions her limbs were giving, the attacks were just as quickly catching up on her.

"Nrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhh!"" the masked girl growled, clenching her firsts tightly, bringing her arms up as she gripped her head. "Dammit..thorn.."

"CAACNEEEAA.."

"JUST LISTEN TO ME!" roared about the room, but the odd thing was, it wasn't voiced by anyone, rather, it was more like a violent sound at the back of one's head.

Unfortunately, it came a little too late as Taiyo rushed forward suddenly and smashed into Thorn with a well-aimed Tackle, sending the smaller Pokémon flying.

"NEA!"

"Nrgh!"

Hissing in unison with her Trainer, Thorn smashed her arms into the ground, managing to launch herself from soaring along it, to flying above it back for Taiyo as the last of the flames began to erupt around her. "CAAAACNEE-"

In response, Ketlin reared her arms back, thrusting them forward as a set of long arms burst through the flames around her Pokémon for the Solrock.

"TURNE!"

The hit caused Solrock to fly through the air a little, but again, it made no noise as it managed to keep itself suspended in mid-air again.

Shaking the last of the flames off, what was the Cacnea thorn, stood with her eyes shut. The Pokémon now a lot taller, and more humanoid in shape with a more angled shaped body, several more sharp thorns lining along her sides, back, and stomach up to her head, which now leaned down, covered in the shadow of a large leaf atop her head, like a straw hat. "..."

Ketlin herself, seemed a bit out of it, eyes shut, but a little swaying where she stood, before she managed to shake it off after a moment, opening her eyes with her Pokémon, a now evolved Cacturne, both Trainer and Pokémon's eyes giving a faint glow for a few moments before turning normal. "..bout time.."

Shrugging at that, still glaring to the Solrock, Thorn growled out. "Cacturne.."

Zienna didn't even respond to the sudden evolution, not really seeming to care, and merely moved her right foot about an inch backwards.

In response, Solrock merely hovered there, as a light yellow energy began to gather around it.

'Ugh what's with these people and their Pokémon with big beams!' the masked girl mentally growled, raising her arms up.

"Cac!" the grass/dark type yelled out, starting to rush for Taiyo, before smashing her arms down into the ground, a blast of sand spreading all around violently. "TURNE!"

Solrock remained hovering, not seeming the least bit affected by the sudden sandstorm. The only real downside being that its attack needed more time to charge now.

Rushing up along the cloud of sand, Thorn began swinging for Taiyo with the thorns along her arms growing longer, this time though, the Grass/Dark types needle arm wasn't just flying around like a wild attack.

Taiyo made no sound as it was struck by the Cacturne's attacks, merely taking the hits as they came. However, just then, it turned to Thorn as the energy solidified in front of it, before releasing into a massive beam toward Cacturne.

For a moment, the attack seem to hit, blowing away some of the sandstorm for the moment, but as it did though, the Solrock could see that the 'Cacturne' it hit, was nothing more than a clutter of sand, just in time for Thorns elbows to smash down from behind the Rock/Psychic type. "CAC!"

That hit sent Taiyo smashing into the ground, where it bounced once, and then stirred no more.

"Nrgh, that was a bit close," the girl sighed out, looking at her Pokémon who gave a nod as she frowned. "Gonna talk about that later.." she grumbled, the duo turning to the Gym Leader.

"…" Zienna was silent, but then, as she tapped her arm… "Let me give you some good advice…"

The pair blinked at that, looking to Zienna curiously as she said that.

"…NEVER take your eyes off your opponent in a Pokémon battle."

Upon hearing those words, the duo whipped back towards Taiyo. The Psychic/Rock type had floated upward slowly, and its body was pulsing with energy, slowly at first, but then gaining more and more speed until it appeared to be blinking between its normal colors and stark white.

Going wide-eyed, the trainer shouted out "LOOK OUT!"

The Cacturne gave her own yelp, quickly bringing her thorny arms up to brace herself as the blast came out. "TURNE?"

The Explosion that followed filled almost the entire battlefield, barely missing the two Trainers and dispersing all of the sand that Thorn had kicked up before. Once the dust had settled, the results of the blast were revealed.

Taiyo was lying on the ground, face up and unmoving, looking more than a little toasted, despite being part Rock type. Thorn was no better, laying face down, crumbled into the rubble shot around from closet to the blasts center, letting out a muffled unconscious moan.

Zienna was silent as she pulled out a Great Ball and recalled her Pokémon silently. "You did good, Taiyo," she murmured quietly.

"Nrgha.." the masked girl growled out, shaking her head as she recalled Thorn back into her own Pokéball. "Next time...try listening from the start..ugh that hurts.."

"You've done well to make it this far..." Zienna said simply, finally unfolding her arms. "Unfortunately, your Gym Challenge will end here."

Giving a shake to clear her thoughts, Ketlin looked to the Gym leader, giving a silent growl in response.

"Shin! It's your turn!" she shouted out.

And less than a minute later, a burst of piercing blue erupted from the back of the room, forming a large blue orb which rushed forward, past Zienna and descended upon the battlefield. As it came down, the burst of light dissipated and a single Pokémon smashed down onto the ground, bending through its legs to catch its fall.

The Pokémon had pale silver colored fur, and it looks a little like an oversized cat, with long legs that gave the impression as though its knees were placed the wrong way around, and its long arms ended in three fingers tipped with an orb. Its long purple tail swayed a little bit, before it slowly raised its head to face Ketlin, piercing purplish-blue eyes set in a frown as it straightened up, a tiny smirk playing on its face.

Seeing the Pokémon, Kamen Trainer finally seemed more than just a bit intimidated and surprised. Mouthing out the creatures name a bit dumbfounded. "M..mew..two.."

The Pokémon in question merely smirked almost cheekily, before bringing up one of its hands while placing the other near its hip in a light fist, moving its legs apart. And as it did, a voice resounded through Ketlin's head.

_So... you are the next challenger to make it this far... interesting... Come at me and show me what you've got!_

Blinking, the girl growled out as she narrowed her eyes. 'Stay the heck out of my head!'

_Then I suggest you stop staring at me and start sending out your fighter of choice,_ was the almost cheeky response.

Ketlin hissed out, taking her stance as she got ready to release her next Pokémon. "They're my precious partners and friends, not my fighters!" Before she could kick out, the opposing ankle's Pokéball shot its light out, causing the girl to blurt out "Aah?"

As the beam smashed itself to materialize like a ball, the blue ball humanoid like Pokémon smashed its fists together, looking to the Mewtwo with a fiery look in his eyes. "Gol-lett!"

'Toku what the heck are you doing, Deva was going to go!'

_Looks like you need to retrain this one once you are through here,_ the Mewtwo chuckled out.

"Enough, Shin," Zienna said suddenly, before taking on a similar stance as the Mewtwo. "Ready?"

_Always am._

"Good." Allowing a small smirk of her own, Zienna murmured: "Synchronize."

The second she said that, the Mewtwo's eyes flashed blue briefly, before both it and Zienna moved fluently, placing both fists on their hips and bending forward just a little.

Ketlin looked in all out shock at that, blinking out to herself "You.."

"Keep your eyes on your opponent and never let down your guard!" Zienna snarled out, before she moved.

Mewtwo-or Shin, as Zienna called him-moved in perfect synchro with her, though he was rushing towards Toku whereas Zienna remained standing still, Psychic energy spiraling around his right hand.

Suddenly, Toku's own hand shot out, catching onto Shins fist, the Golett's own hand encased in a veil of shadows. Ketlin's own body matching his, though she seemed off guard from it. "Gol, Lett-Golett-gol"

Blinking, Ketlin growled out, quickly matching the Golett's motions as he jumped back from the Mewtwo, still obviously ready to fight. "Grah, fine well talk later"

Shin remained silent even as his other hand shot forward. However, instead of landing a punch, a blast of Psychic energy erupted from his hand, smashing into the Golett and sending him flying backwards.

"Ngrh!/Gol!" The dual type and his trainer growled out, stumbling back as the attack hit, Smashing their fists into the ground, Golett's a bit harder to steady himself.

Shin brought his hands forward in front of him, holding them in front of his chest with a small space between them. As he held them for a moment, purple energy crackled between them, small blue sparks jumping over the orb before he reared back and threw it right toward Toku, the orb's speed not giving much time to dodge.

Toku blinked out, quickly trying to bring its arms up to at least brace as the attack hit, sending the little ghost/ground type flying as he was blasted back. "GOL!"

"Gah!"

The Mewtwo merely watched for a moment longer, before holding out his hand to Toku, a sheen of blue light surrounding his entire figure.

The Golett/Trainer straightened themselves out, looking in time as the Mewtwo began to glow through strained face. "Lett!"/"Grrr!"

Shin silently brought all three fingers closer together while raising up his arm ever so slowly.

Toku growled out, him and his Trainer struggling to rear their arms back, glaring right for the Mewtwo, the pair shaking sharply as they fought against the psychic attack "G-o-oollleettttt!"

Shin just watched, before tossing his arm sideways, which caused Toku to fly halfway across the battlefield and skidding along the floor.

At that, the masked girl yelped out with her Pokémon, hitting the ground herself as the Golett smashed down. Growling, the girl and her ghost/ground type struggled to push themselves up, however before they could even get a foot down, both slumped to a heap along the ground again. ".."

"_Done already?_" came the chorused question from both Shin and Zienna. "_Pity..._"

The Trainer, though, didn't respond, in fact, after a better look, she was outright more out of it then her Golett, who at least managed to twitch its fingers unconsciously

Shin was silent for a moment before his eyes flashed briefly and he crossed his arms, while Zienna walked over to the masked girl.

"Sorry to say..." Zienna said solemnly. "But your Challenge has ended."

As she said that, three of the girls Pokéballs shot out their energy, Natsu, Thorn, and the girls Absol materialize, the first two looking pretty much in no shape still struggling to be out like that, the dark type growling a bit, nudging his trainer's shoulders. "Absol!"

But just then, Ketlin's body floated up slowly, hovering a few inches above the ground. A good look around revealed Shin, holding out his hand and gently holding the girl up off the ground.

Spotting that, the two newer Pokémon of Ketlin's gave their own growls, Natsu quickly holding his hand up to quiet them "P-pig nite..pignite pig.."

"All of you should just rest as well," Zienna said simply. "I will take this girl to her father so she can recover as well."

Natsu gave a look through his one eye, the other still clenched shut from the damage he took earlier, before he became a beam of light, recalling himself back to his Pokéball. Thorn followed a bit after, the Dark type giving a growl as he hopped over to the fallen Golett, picking the Ghost/Ground type up as their pair beamed back to their own cases once again.

Zienna waited until Shin had brought up Ketlin to where she could pick up the girl from mid-air without having to bend down and let the Psychic type set Ketlin in her arms. Turning to him, she said simply: "You get some rest too. I'm willing to bet Gui's gonna show up anytime."

_Good,_ Shin said with a smirk. _He's always good for a little target practice._

"Just try not to hurt him too much, I got dibs on that," Zienna said simply, before walking out without a word.

* * *

Sometime later, all of the sudden, the previously unconscious, and now unmasked, girl's eyes shot open, quickly sitting up with a start, before just as fast she fell back down to where she was laying on the couch, holding her sides tightly hissing out "GAH!"

"Easy, kiddo," Zero's voice said from somewhere above her. "Try not to move too much. I'm betting your muscles are still sore as heck."

Hissing her breath out, Ketlin squinted, trying to look around a bit confused "Wh-where.."

"My house. Sis brought you here a few hours ago."

Looking up to the blonde, the girl growled, pushing herself up with a loud groan as she did so. "H-hours?"

"Yeah. You were pretty beat up when she brought you here," Zero mumbled.

Hearing that, the girl kept her arm around her stomach, which someone could catch telltale signs of brushings from numerous attacks growing there. "Guess..crashed more on that flying ride then I thought.."

"Really? I was under the assumption that was because you synched up," Zero said simply as he stood from his seat and headed into the kitchen.

Ketlin looked over quickly at that, hissing to herself as she rubbed her neck tenderly, looking around from the couch a bit. "How.."

"You're not the only one who can do that, yanno?" Zero said, pouring some kind of juice in a glass. "You want something?" he asked, turning back to her.

"Nrgh..anything cold" she hissed, rubbing her arms as she looked to the ground. "...ah, wh-where's Hiiry?"

"Not back yet," Zero said, dropping some ice cubes in a glass and pouring some lemonade in it before walking back. "Your dad's out, too. Dunno exactly where he went but I told him about-"

Busting through the door before the blonde could finish, TJ skid into the room, panting a bit obviously having done one hell of a run to get to the house. "Ket!"

Grumbling, the girl let herself slump over laying on the couch again, taking the lemonade with a thanks to Zero as she started to sip it away. "I'm fine..just..rugh..tired.."

Zero said nothing as he took his seat again, sipping on his own drink.

"Sure don't look it, kitten" the girl's father growled, leaning down to look her over. "Jeez, warned cha her skills were tough.."

"I coulda won.."

"Well, Shin is a tough one. He might not be as strong as his great-grampa, but yeah, he's tough," Zero said casually.

"It wasn't him.." the girl growled, pushing herself a bit with a jerk, downing her drink in almost two gulps as she coughed a little. Snarling as she rubbed her chin with her wrist "If Thorn and Toku didn't get all gun-ho on me.."

The silverhead blinked at that, narrowing his eyes curiously as he spoke, sitting carefully along the couch next to her. "Hm? Thorn I kinda figured being new..but Toku misbehaved?"

"Came out when I was gonna use Deva, was so weird.."

The blonde remained silent, sipping his own drink, just as the communicator in the corner of the room started ringing. "...Hm? Okay, wasn't expecting any calls today..." he mumbled, getting up and heading over.

Sighing, TJ gave Ketlin's back a careful rub, the girl groaned a bit, but began to relax into it. "Jeez kitten..hm, well all together cha roughly alright..I think."

"I'll be better when everyone's recovered at the center"

"Just rest for now before you end up hurting yourself," Zero said solemnly, before picking up the receiver of the phone and bringing it to his ear. "Start talkin', 's your nickel."

"_Yes, nice to see you too, Zero,_" came a casual voice from the other side, one that made Zero jump.

"The heck? Wes! What're you calling for, man?" Zero laughed out.

Blinking to that, TJ looked over, quirking an eyebrow as he worked his ears a bit. "Wes.."

The young man on the other side of the commlink laughed as well. "_What, can't I call just cuz I wanna have a chat nowadays?_"

"Wes, you NEVER call 'just to chat'," Zero pointed out.

"_...Oh yeah, I don't, don't I?_"

Ketlin looked over, a bit curious herself at Zero and the other person, this Wes characters conversation. Looking to her father questioningly, she asked "Wes?"

"Sounds familiar.."

The person on the screen had light blonde hair, though it was closer to gray than yellow, which was slightly spiked, but majorly windswept, and he had sharp, amber eyes. From what was visible, he was wearing a blue jacket of some kind, but since you could only see most of his face and the top of his chest, that said very little.

"So, how's things with Rui?" Zero quipped suddenly, making the man on the other side tense.

"_Hey! Where'd that come from!_" Wes demanded, making the blonde laugh.

"Heh. Never mind," Zero chuckled, before sobering up. "So, what happened?"

At that question, the young man-Wes-sighed. "_Well... we got a bit of a problem, I'm afraid..._" Wes mumbled.

"...I'm afraid to ask... what is it?" Zero mumbled.

"_Well... someone stole the gauntlet._"

"WHAT?"

Hearing that, the silverhead leapt up, seemingly figuring things out as he went to the screen. "CHA KIDDEN ME!"

"_Unfortunately... no..._" Wes mumbled. "_I put it in the vault at Phenac a few months back, and I went to check on it two days ago..._"

"And it wasn't there anymore..." Zero mumbled.

"_Bingo._"

"Dammit.." TJ growled, ruffling his hair as he looked to the screen a bit. "First off I like ta say thanks for beaten down Snagem but dammit cha gotta get that thing back, any clues?"

"_I know I gotta get it back! You think I'm that retarded?_" Wes snarled out.

"'Ey whoa whoa, easy you two."

"_Ah... sorry, Zero... Kinda ticked about losing that thing..._"

Taking a breath, TJ sighed out holding up his hands apologetically. "Don't blame cha, erm TJ by tha way, some of tha tech tha went into Snagem's little ..'projects' I either helped on or started, tha's why I'm like this."

Wes nodded briefly. "_Pleasure. Name's Wes, as you may have figured... Anyway, no, we got no clues yet, but we're doing what we can. Course, there's no telling if it wasn't smuggled out of Orre. That's why I called; to tell you to keep your eyes open._"

"Yeah, I will. Thanks for the heads up, man," Zero said with a nod.

"It's not my eyes tha culprits will have ta worry about if I see them with tha thing tha's for sure," TJ snarled out a bit.

"_I'll bet..._" Wes mumbled. "_Anyway, wish we could've met under better circumstances, but maybe we can catch up later, once this is over._"

"Lunch will be on me tha's for sure I want every detail on how cha flattened those creeps when we do."

Wes laughed. "_I'll hold you on that. Anyway, catch ya later, Zero._"

"Same, man. Let me know when ya find that thing, will ya?"

"_I will if you will as well,_" Wes said with a nod, before he and Zero cut the connection at the same time.

"Urgh..." Zero groaned.

"Say that again," TJ growled, holding one arm across his chest, the other laying on it while he rubbed his face with a groan himself. "Thought I wouldn't haveta worry anymore bout that.."

"Um.." the young Shonen muttered, earning a small look from her father as she nodded. "I figured some of the Snagem part but..what's going on?"

"...Guess you never told her what Snagem actually did, huh?"

Sighing, TJ nodded rubbing his face still. "I didn want her to know what happened to some of my projects they twisted with.."

"We got no choice at this point... but let's wait until Hiiro comes back, ne?" Zero offered.

The silverhead nodded a bit, not looking thrilled by the process. "Right.."


	15. Chapter 14 Nitira of Crystal

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 14: Nitira of Crystal**

* * *

Nitira's Gym, unlike her sister's, was on the mainland, in the actual city and by the edge of the woods that were known as the Crescent Forest. The forest itself was dark as it was, even in daylight, and the Gym was no different; its walls were painted black with red and it gave off a very unfriendly atmosphere, one that gave Hiiro pause.

"…Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…" Hiiro murmured.

"Vee!" Eevee yipped, and dashed forward, and through the already open doors.

"Gah! Eevee!" Hiiro called out, hurrying to catch up.

* * *

If the outside of the Gym was dark, it was nothing compared to the inside; there were barely any lights, and the few that were there barely lit up anything.

"Whoa, it's dark in here…" Hiiro mumbled, before pulling out his bag. "Flashlight… flashlight… where'd I… Ah, there we go."

Pulling out his flashlight, Hiiro clicked it on and began moving the beam of light around, trying to determine the gimmick of the Gym.

'Given the darkness of the Gym, I'm guessing Nitira uses Dark types… the site had no information about her types of Pokémon, so I guess I gotta hope for the best. Really wish I had a Fighting type though in the event that she _does_ use Dark types…'

"Oh well, I'll just play it how it goes…" Hiiro quipped with a shrug, beginning to walk down the passage ahead of him and Eevee, the small Pokémon toddling along happily, hurrying after the beam of light as though trying to catch it.

* * *

After a small while of walking around and getting lost, Hiiro let out a small cry and dropped down on the floor with a heavy sigh. "Dammit, I feel like I'm going around in circles… So the gimmick is a maze in the dark… lovely."

Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly.

"Okay… let's apply some logic…" Hiiro murmured, sitting back against the wall to think, shutting his eyes for a moment. 'To get through a maze without getting lost, the best way to handle it is by using something to track your path like marbles or a string. But since I'm already in, that's useless…'

For a few more moments, Hiiro just sat like that, thinking while tapping his finger on his flashlight, before a thought came to him and he opened his eyes again.

"I got an idea… Eevee."

"Vee?"

"Your nose is better than mine; try to sniff out other people or Pokémon around here. Maybe that can get us to the Gym Leader."

At that, Eevee perked up happily and he yipped before moving forward, sniffing a little at the air, tail wagging as Hiiro got up. Finally, the small fox yipped again and hurried ahead, with Hiiro right behind him.

Like that, they continued onward for a while, with Eevee pausing at each intersection and sniffing at the air, then the ground, before hurrying along, with Hiiro following silently behind him. Absently, Hiiro wondered if Eevee could maybe become a tracking-Pokémon once he had evolved. Sure, his sense of smell wouldn't be on the same level as, say, a Growlithe or Arcanine, but surely it was good enough.

Just then, Eevee yipped and nearly bounced up from the ground, and Hiiro lightly jogged the last few paces.

"Oh wow. Good job, Eevee!"

"Vee!"

They had arrived.

* * *

The battlefield was only lit up minimally; only a few torchlights on the side gave just enough light to illuminate the field. In the back of the room, stood a heavy looking, throne-like chair, with a woman resting along the armrests, seemingly asleep. From a distance, Hiiro could've sworn it was Zienna… but upon close inspection he noticed that the woman's hair was purple instead of blue and it was tied in a ponytail near the back of the neck, while the segments sleeves and pants legs were secured with belts rather than chains.

"…Um… Miss Nitira?" Hiiro called out hesitantly.

"…hm?" the woman hummed, opening one eye lazily to look at him, and Hiiro was a little surprise to note that her eyes were red.

'Probably contacts…' he figured, before he spoke up. "Sorry if I was disturbing you, but I was hoping I could have a moment of your time to attempt the Gym Challenge."

Nitira was silent for a few more moments, before she kicked her legs up and spun around to sit properly in her 'throne', arms resting on the armrests.

"…Well, since ya asked so nicely, I may's well oblige," she said casually, a small smirk playing on his face. "Though your chance of succeeding 'gainst me… ain't looking too well."

"I had a feeling you'd say that… but I'd still like to try," Hiiro said, trying to keep his composure.

"…Fine by me, just don't go cryin' when ya fail," Nitira said with a shrug, before whistling. "Ka'Ray!"

In the next moment, a familiar-looking black Pokémon walked from the darkness, the golden rings on its body glowing and its red eyes watching Hiiro and Eevee ominously, much creepier than Kuroi's; an Umbreon.

"Rules are simple; three Pokémon each. First to beat all three wins."

'An Eeveelution, huh?' Hiiro frowned a little, reaching up to the edge of his cap, before spinning it around. "Eevee."

"Vee!" the small Pokémon yipped hurrying forward and facing off with the Dark type.

Ka'Ray merely watched the small Pokémon take a stance, before it fell into position, too.

Nitira watched for a moment, before she lightly tapped her finger on the armrest. In an instant, Ka'Ray rushed forward without a word said to it, making Eevee yip in surprise, before running forward and kicking off, avoiding the Headbutt by an inch.

'Thank Arceus for all that hurdle jumping… or rather, thank Hita, I guess…' Hiiro breathed out as Eevee landed again. 'Anyway, if I saw that right… looks like Nitira can order her Pokémon around merely by twitching her body a little. Tapping her left indexfinger makes Ka'Ray rush forward…'

"Counter that one, Eevee! Headbutt!"

Eevee gave a small growl and dashed forward as fast as his little legs could carry him, and bashed his head into Ka'Ray's side, making the hound yowl in surprise as he was knocked back. However, he remained standing and glared at Eevee with a furious growl.

'Wait a tick… something's… off about that Umbreon…' Hiiro frowned in suspicion. 'What is…?'

Just then, though, Nitira's right thumb moved across the edge of the armrest and Ka'Ray vanished from the spot, appearing right in front of Eevee and smashing into the smaller Pokémon. Eevee yelped in pain as he was sent rolling backwards.

'Right thumb across the armrest initiates Faint Attack… right.' Glancing to the floor for a moment, Hiiro allowed a smirk before he called out: "Look at the ground and then kick!"

Eevee blinked at the odd order, but the second he looked down, his ears perked. "Vee!"

Nitira remained silent, and merely tapped her left indexfinger again.

'Headbutt. Perfect!'

Just as Ka'Ray got into range, Eevee spun on his heel and kicked at the ground - sending the dust on the floor and into the Dark type's eyes.

"UM!" it screeched out, snarling and hissing as it pawed at its eyes to try and get the dust out.

'What's going on? What is WRONG with that Umbreon?' Hiiro thought, before shaking it off and shouting: "Quick Attack!"

In an instant, Eevee spun around and ran forward so fast Hiiro could barely see it, smashing right into the Umbreon with a shout.

But just then, Nitira moved her right foot back about an inch, and Ka'Ray snapped its jaw open.

"Oh shit! EEVEE LOOK OUT!"

But the shout came too late and Ka'Ray's teeth slammed down on Eevee's mid-section—hard enough to draw blood and make Eevee howl in pain.

"NO! STOP! THAT'S ENOUGH! PLEASE!" Hiiro shouted desperately.

In response, Nitira snapped her fingers and Ka'Ray released the small Pokémon, letting him drop down. Ignoring the standard rules, Hiiro dashed forward and crouched down beside his Pokémon, picking up the small canine in his arms.

"Eevee!"

"Veeeee…" the small Pokémon whined, moving its head to look at Hiiro with pained eyes.

"It's okay…" he whispered, pulling out Eevee's Pokéball. "Just rest… You did real good…"

After recalling his Pokémon, he snarled and jumped to his feet. "That was unnecessary! Your Pokémon didn't have to Bite down that hard!"

"If he didn't… would it really be called 'Bite', then?" Nitira questioned icily, making Hiiro tense sharply.

He hadn't noticed earlier, but the Umbreon wasn't the only one that was off; it was Nitira as well. Maybe it was because he hadn't paid enough attention earlier, but there was something… very very wrong with her that made Hiiro feel on edge.

"Get back to your spot or I'll end your challenge right now."

Hiiro gulped and nodded, moving back to his side of the arena and pulling out his next Pokéball. 'This Umbreon… he's not afraid to spill blood… he'll definitely pull that again if Nitira gives the order. In that case… I'll have to counter with someone equally ferocious.'

Without a word, Hiiro tossed his next Pokéball forward, a burst of light materializing into his Houndour, who was growling angrily when he spotted the Umbreon.

'Good… looks like he noticed that his opponent is serious and won't hesitate to hurt him…' Hiiro took a deep breath, before letting it out slowly. 'I can't make any mistakes… if I do, it'll be my Pokémon who'll pay the price.'

Nitira was silent, before she moved her right thumb again.

"Houndour! Jump aside and use Ember!" Hiiro shouted out and Houndour didn't waste a second, leaping to the side to avoid the Faint Attack and let out a burst of flames into Ka'Ray's side. Ka'Ray howled in pain, just before Nitira moved her foot. "Now jump up and get on top! Pin him!"

Houndour leapt up and just avoided the Bite, before smashing all four of its paws into Ka'Ray's back, forcing the Pokémon to smash into the ground. Ka'Ray yowled in pain, before trying to Bite Houndour again, but the other Dark type leapt away just in time.

"Right, keep your distance! Use Ember again!"

Houndour breathed in briefly, but what he exhaled wasn't Ember; it was Flamethrower.

Ka'Ray might have been able to avoid a single Ember burst, but a Flamethrower attack was a whole different story. As much as he tried to dodge it, Houndour moved just a little faster with moving his head, catching the Umbreon in the blast and making him howl out in pain.

Nitira barely responded as the Eeveelution dropped to the ground, twitching and whining, before he attempted to stand again. "…Enough," she said coldly, bringing up her Pokéball and recalling the Umbreon. "…Ch."

Hiiro sighed in relief, lightly patting his heart. 'I made it through the first one… here's hoping I can handle the second one, too.'

"Fyo'Su!" Nitira called, and the Pokémon that stepped out was another familiar one, and again, one that looked more ferocious than the previous one he'd seen; a Houndoom.

'This can't be good… these guys… it's almost as though they were trained specifically to kill…'

Houndour frowned and watched the other Dark/Fire type with a small growl.

'She can probably command this one by movement, too… I gotta pay attention to both her and her Pokémon.'

Just then, Nitira tapped her left foot against the ground, and immediately, Fyo'Su released a blaze of fire from its mouth. Houndour yelped and managed to leap aside to avoid most of the fire, because even as a Fire type, that would hurt, badly.

'Tap of the left foot is a Fire Blast attack, huh? Fun… Oh well.'

"Don't let him get to you! Faint Attack!" Houndour barked and rushed forward, smashing into the Houndoom from the side, making the bigger Pokémon howl. "Now Bite! Don't let him turn on you! Hurry!"

Houndour wasted no time in doing so and snapped his jaws shut on the other Pokémon's mid-section. Fyo'Su yowled in pain, but then he snarled in anger as Nitira tapped the four fingers of her left hand in rapid succession on the armrest.

As smoke began to come from the Pokémon, Hiiro paled. "Houndour, let go! Get away!"

Unfortunately, he was a little too late in getting away as the powerful wave of heat slammed into him and sent the smaller Pokémon flying with a howl of pain.

'If I leave him like that Nitira's Pokémon will still go for him! I can't risk that!' Hiiro thought desperately, pulling out his Pokéball. "Houndour! Return!" he called, just before Nitira raised her left foot up to tap it.

For a moment, Hiiro sighed. 'I can hazard a guess what her third Pokémon is… and I DO have someone who can fight it… or should be able to fight it. Please let this work!' Pulling out his third and final Pokéball for this match, he threw it forward.

"Quaaaag," the blue Water/Ground type called out almost lazily from where he materialized.

Nitira actually frowned for a moment, before she tapped down her left foot. Instantly, Fyo'Su released another Fire Blast attack.

However, the flames merely bounced off of Quagsire, the slime covering her body protecting her from the fire even if her type advantage hadn't helped.

"Water Gun!" Hiiro called out.

Quaqsire only took a small breath before letting out a long stream of water right toward Fyo'Su. Of course, the Houndoom avoided it quite easily. But just before he landed from his jump, Quaqsire hopped up, curled her body up and smashed down onto the ground, causing an Earthquake that toppled Fyo'Su with a yelp.

"Wow… Erk! Quagsire, Rollout!"

Quagsire did as she was told and rolled up, straight toward the Dark/Fire type, and bowling him over with enough force to send him smashing into Nitira's throne with a howl.

The Gym Leader remained silent, before solemnly recalling the Houndoom to its Pokéball. "Hmph."

'She doesn't tell them they did good either… what kind of training did those Pokémon endure?'

"Qio'Na!" Nitira called out just then, and the rumble that followed confirmed Hiiro's earlier suspicions.

It was a gargantuan Pokémon, its light green hide looking as hard as rocks and its large body seemed heavy enough to crush everyone that happened to stand beneath him if he fell forward to mush; a Tyranitar.

'Tyranitar is a Rock and Dark Pokémon… Water is a good strategy, but… Would Quagsire be enough to finish this? Its hide looks polished… so it must've gone through the same type of training as Terrance, at the very least…' Hiiro gulped a little. 'I might not make it this time, but I have to try!'

Just then, Nitira moved her right shoulder back, making Qio'Na raise one leg.

'That's!' "Quagsire! Earthquake!"

The two Earthquakes hit at roughly the same time, causing Nitira's Pokémon to stumble briefly, while Quagsire merely rolled forward at top speed in a Rollout without needing to be said. The Water/Ground type smashed into the Tyranitar's chest, and had it been any other Pokémon, it would've been knocked back, but because of Tyranitar's weight, it was almost impossible to move one.

"…Your challenge ends here," Nitira said simply, moving two fingers back across the armrest, making Tyranitar slam its claws down on Quagsire before she could fall down to the ground.

Hiiro choked when his Pokémon started to wail as Qio'Na began to apply more and more force, a distinct 'crack' resounding through the air. He wasted no time with words and yanked out his Pokéball, quickly recalling Quagsire before she could get any more bones crushed.

"…I lose…" he murmured softly.

"So you did…"

Hiiro did not respond to the words the Gym Leader spoke. He finally understood why Amalia had looked so worried about facing off against Nitira. He couldn't be sure what kind of training the Gym Leader put her Pokémon through, but it made them battle-hardened. Yet he couldn't understand…

Suddenly, something in his mind clicked and he blinked, but he chose not to voice what he was thinking of, and instead, moved his cap back around and said: "Then… I'll be off then…"

With those words, Hiiro turned and left silently.

Nitira merely watched him, before she snorted briefly and recalled her Tyranitar. And then she kicked off to recline across the armrests once again.

* * *

"Meew…why's he so late…" Ketlin groaned out, flopping back down to the couch, obviously still a bit tired from before.

"I guess he figured out why Nitira is a difficult Gym Leader to tackle…" Zero said solemnly, working on lunch.

Blinking to that, the silverhead turned to Zero questioningly. "Hm?'

"Well…"

"She was in the war, wasn't she?" Hiiro's voice called out from the doorway, before he walked into the living room silently.

"…Yep. Sis was too, to be honest."

"…I thought so…" Hiiro murmured softly.

Blinking to the boy, Ketlin pushed herself up a bit, grumbling "Huh?"

"…You remember the Great War I mentioned that occurred 30 years ago?"

The young Shonen gave a simple nod, still a bit confused.

Zero picked up before Hiiro could talk: "Sis and Nitira were part of it. They were only seven, and yet they fought alongside all the adults alongside their Pokémon."

"Oh jeez…" TJ grumbled, looking down not at all too thrilled from the way things were leading.

Hiiro was silent as he sat down. "Sorry I'm late… I had to take a quick stop at the center…"

Looking to the boy for a moment, Ketlin simply let herself flop over, toppling on his lap with a growl. "Lost?"

"Yeah…" Hiiro murmured, pulling out three Pokéballs. "Come on out, you three."

At those words, the Pokéballs burst open and Eevee, Houndour and Quagsire appeared, each one looking a little bit… well, it could be called sad, but it wasn't quite there.

"Veee…"

"Barrrr…"

"Quaaag…"

"It wasn't your fault. Calm down," Hiiro murmured, lightly petting all three in turn. "She was just too strong for us at this time. But we'll get her next time, I'm sure."

Growling at that, the young Shonen pulled herself up growling out "You three too, out."

In response, the three Pokéballs from her pack burst open, releasing the girls Pignite, Cacturne and Golett respectively, all still a bit wounded, but seemingly getting their breathing back now.

Giving a dry look, the girl pointed two of her fingers at Thorn and Toku. "You two in trouble," she growled, earning momentary stunned and depressed responses from them, before thumbing up to Natsu. "Did good, feeling bit better?"

"PIGNI-Iiiiiiiite," Natsu began, going to his usual strutting posture, though from the sound of it as he winced rubbing his shoulder, he grumbled a bit with a sheepish grin. "N-nite…"

Just then, Zero walked in from the kitchen, holding two plates; one with sandwiches and another with multiple juice glasses. "Here we go."

Blinking a bit, the silverhead sniffed a little at the air, looking the juice glasses over. "Hm? Tha wha I think it is?"

"Berry Juice. It's become a real hype in Johto and Kanto since a few months ago," Zero chuckled out. "You can try, of course, but it was originally meant for Pokémon."

"Heheh, I know," TJ smirked out, taking a glass and sipping it…and promptly coughing a bit to get his breath.

"Good, papa?"

"Gahk…smoooooth."

Hiiro allowed a smile before reaching for the different colored glasses of juice. "So… they all have different tastes?"

"Yep. That one you have right now is from bitter berries. So… you might want to leave that one be unless you like that."

"Oh, kay."

"Careful with the spicy berry juice they really can knock you out," Ketlin pointed out, handing a red juice to her Pignite who began drinking it happily.

Hiiro nodded and looked around, before picking up three of them. "Um… Oh, thanks!" Hiiro quipped upon getting two bowls from Zero, before he set them on the ground and poured the juices in.

Immediately, Eevee and Houdour let out a yip and a bark respectively and hurried to the bowls to start drinking. Quagsire on the other hand, got the glass itself, since she had actual hands to hold it with.

"Gaah, anyway good juice, Johto import?" TJ coughed out to the blond, finishing the drink a bit more with ease after the initial coughing spat.

"Nope. Home brewed, thank you very much," Zero quipped with a smirk. "Coffee-girl got me one of those blenders when she was in Johto last month."

"Mew, think they're better from Shuckles," Ketlin muttered, looking to her 'misbehaving' Pokémon still obviously a bit upset. "The heck were you two doing?"

"Cacturne cac turne…" Thorn growled, crossing her arms as she looked away a bit defiantly.

"Ya hate Solrock, yeah kinda noticed…"

Hiiro remained quiet, munching on a sandwich as he watched.

Turning to her Ground/Ghost type, the girl nodded. "Well? Why'd you force yourself out for the battle, you know we planned Deva to take the last stand."

Toku, for his part, didn't say anything, looking to the ground for a few moments silently. "…"

"Better tell her the reason, before she gets even more pissed," Zero said simply, sipping some juice of his own.

"I already had to deal with the headache thorn gave me when she Evolved and got so beat on as is…" she responded herself, before blinking. "For that matter, you owe Deva an apology too. She was looking forward to fighting Zeena. Deva?"

Though, despite the call, Ketlin's pack remained motionless. Blinking a bit to that, TJ walked over, fishing out the Duskball within. "Hm, got st…uck?"

Hiiro blinked a few times. "Is something wrong?

"Huh…Deva come out already your ball's not crammed anymore."

Looking to the Ghost type's Duskball, the silverhead frowned, before quickly pressing the button. With a small pop, the lid of the device opened…but that was it. "…Empty…?"

Zero was silent for a moment longer, before he mumbled: "Looks like someone ran off…"

Blinking to that, Ketlin began to chuckle, though, nervously as she waved the air. "H-heh naw, she probably just got lost going out to play 'boo' at people last night, she does it sometimes…"

However, the dual Ghost type looked up, fists clenched a bit, obviously not liking what it was saying as it spoke up. "Gol…ett…golett…lett gol…"

Whatever the Pokémon just said, was definitely an impact, as the girl and the other Pokémon's attention quickly went to it. Ketlin's own eyes wear nearly the size of saucers as she muttered "…W…what…?"

Eevee blinked curiously, looking over, and even Houndour and Quagsire looked over in surprise.

"…What did he say?" Hiiro asked slowly.

Ketlin looked simply stupefied, unable to mentally process as she translated, almost mechanically. "She said she was leaving…sh-she wouldn't…Deva…she and Netta…they were my first…she wouldn't…she didn't even…'

Natsu turned to the Golett, blinking a bit in disbelief himself. "Pig…nite?"

The Ground/Ghost type didn't say anything, but nodded, as if to silently say it was true.

"Jeez…tha doesn' sound like her though…" TJ muttered out curiously, blinking as his daughter smacked her fists into the couches cushions. "Kitten…"

"Mrrr! Fine. Stupid idiot!" Ketlin snarled out, hopping to her feet, though a bit wobbly which her Pokémon quickly helped to steady. "Gah, fine. Let's get you guys to the center, we gotta be at top when we take Zeena again, this time she's down," the girl growled out, earning a few surprised blinks by her Pokémon.

Zero merely rolled his eyes and took a sip from his drink. "Ya seriously think you can beat Shin so easily?"

"Shin or no shin, well win!" The girl responded quickly, starting to head off after grabbing her pack, recalling her Pokémon quickly as she made her way out the door.

"…saa…she forgot her flipflops again…"

"Figures… I'll wait until she comes back to explain, then," Zero said simply.

"Explain?"

"You'll see, kiddo."

At that, TJ looked to the blond, by the quirk of his eyebrow he was a bit more then curious to that. Shaking the thought till later, the silverhead grumbled "Least this puts off explaining about wha' snagem did for a while later too…"

"That's what I meant," Zero said simply.

* * *

Taking a breath as she stepped in front of the door to the house once more, Ketlin sighed out deeply, before giving a few knocks, her arm raised a bit more than it needed to be as she stretched it up. "It's me."

As she said that, there was a bark from the side of the house. As she looked, she noticed Houndoom, probably Zero's, and it cocked its head to the side, before walking back around the corner.

Quickly putting her arm back down, the girl followed silently grumbling "Not one word…er bark."

The Houndoom was silent as it walked, then reached the house's backdoor and pushed it open, before staying in place to let Ketlin enter first.

Sighing, the girl walked on in, giving a half hearted rub to the Fire/Dark type's head as she did, letting him follow before shutting the door behind him.

"Hey kid," Zero said once the girl had rejoined them.

Ketlin gave a wave simply, hopping back down into the couch as she grumbled: "I really hope I won't have to worry about a team limit without Deva around now that would be really annoying."

"Sis has a minimum of four, since their rules require three Pokémon beaten," Zero said casually. "So don't worry 'bout that problem."

Chuckling as his daughter gave a sigh of relief, TJ blinked a bit, looking over to the blonde with a small nod. "Um, mind starten it for us Zero…Ket's gonna have enough for me to answer to for this matter as is…"

"Right… Let me recap for Hiiro's case, though," Zero said, turning to said boy as he finished a sandwich and turned to the blonde. "I got a call from a friend in Orre a bit back… and he said his 'gauntlet' got lifted."

"Gauntlet?" Hiiro asked in confusion. "What's so special about a gauntlet that he'd report it to you?"

What Zero said then caused both Ketlin and Hiiro to jolt in surprise.

"Because it's a gauntlet that allows people to steal Pokémon from other Trainers."

"What?"

"…W-w-w-what?" Hiiro echoed.

"Remember how I said there were almost no wild Pokémon in Orre?" Upon getting a confirmation, Zero continued. "Team Snagem managed to find a way to be able to still catch Pokémon… right from under Trainers' noses. They came up with the idea of a gauntlet that gave any Pokéball thrown with it an electrical charge that that would disable the binding effect Pokéballs have on captured Pokémon."

"That… that's-I-I-I don't even know what that is but I know it's wrong!" Hiiro cried out.

Looking to the blonde in shock, Ketlin's eyes widened more, turning slowly to look at her father. "…p…papa…was…"

The silverhead said nothing for a few moments, before looking down slowly. "…the energy field dampens the binding identification program in Pokéballs…then the 'snag-balls' basically copy the data into themselves while deleting it…" he muttered, before sighing. "I researched on possible design flaws in Pokéball protection systems…"

"And Snagem used that data to work on those specific flaws and create 'Snagballs'," Zero added with a nod.

"…no way…"

Ketlin said nothing, before growling steadily louder. "Those…those…"

"Yeah…I know Kitten."

The girl continued to growl, before blinking, looking up quickly. "But, that wouldn't work too well would it? It might capture the Pokémon, but they were stolen from their friends, there's no way they'd help someone who takes them from their precious friends."

"…Yeah, well… that's the problem; Snagem was, as the name implies, all about snagging them. They didn't use the Pokémon; they sold them."

"WHAT?" Hiiro cried out.

Looking in a mixture of shock, horror and outright disgust, the girls growl came back, at full through, anyone outside who couldn't see the snarling girl would mistake it for a large and raged Pokémon's. "Those-SLIMES!"

"Not done yet," Zero said, holding up his hand.

"There's more!"

"How can it get any worse than that?"

Hearing his daughter's words like that, TJ crossed his arms, one hand clenching heavily on the upper arm in the process. "…"

"Well, as you pointed out, stolen Pokémon don't exactly listen to other Trainers… so most of the Pokémon that were snagged were sold to a faction called 'Cipher'."

"I've never heard of them before…"

"Cipher?" the girl blinked out curiously.

"Not surprising; they operated solely in Orre and didn't get to other regions much. Which I'm grateful for… actually," Zero mumbled. "Anyway, Cipher also had its own experiments going… They had a theory on making Pokémon stronger

than should be possible in nature.

"Ah!" The girl shouted out, smacking her hand to her palm "Papa! You worked for…"

"Don' say it!"

"…Did they get results?" Hiiro asked slowly.

Ketlin blinked at her father's remark, looking worriedly to the blonde as he went on "…"

"…Yes." Zero sighed. "They managed to create what we now know 'Shadow Pokémon'. They were Pokémon with special abilities that allowed them to hit any Pokémon, Ghost types included. Any hit with those moves was considered 'super effective'. But…" At this point, Zero took a deep breath and held it for a few long, tense seconds, before exhaling sharply. "This power came with a price… a big one."

"…What…what was it…the price…" Ketlin asked, surprisingly, she was sounding meek for perhaps the first time in all of her journey with the boy beside her.

TJ's grip on his arm tightened greater at that, knuckles turning white as he gave a small side glance to the blonde as he said "…tell em…"

Zero nodded briefly and looked up. "…It locked away the Pokémon's 'heart'."

"…" Hiiro couldn't speak; he just stared, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open, unable to get out a single word.

Ketlin was no better, though her focus was slightly put to the silverhead, who was silent himself looking to the floor for a few moments, before she managed out "…why…why…were you working with them on that…"

Not looking up, the silverhead took a breath, trying to steady himself as he began to grit through his teeth "Cause of all tha close ties I had with other scientists in Pokémon research and my independent research they asked to help them with it. I agreed, looking to help Pokémon bring their own latent powers out…when we started experimenting…and I saw how cold the Pokémon were growing…I bailed out, told the other scientists they should do tha same…I shoulda burned tha research when I had the opportunity…"

"…what… happened to those Pokémon?" Hiiro asked after a moment.

"Well, no one had ever counted on the fact that someone would be able to _see_ that they'd turned a Pokémon "Shadow", but there was someone who could see the darkness in their heart in the shape of an aura around them," Zero said simply. "She was a girl called Rui, and as events went, she ended up teaming up with Wes, my friend from Orre. Now I'll say this; Wes was a Snagger of Team Snagem way back. In fact, he was the best they had."

"Wait… why did she…?" Hiiro started.

"Wes had a change of heart much like TJ had. It just took him a little longer since he was practically raised by Team Snagem since he was a kid. When he left them behind, he stole the gauntlet and blew their base up," Zero said simply. "And after that… well."

"…I get it… he used the gauntlet to 'steal back' the Shadow Pokémon," Hiiro said.

TJ took a deep breath in, letting it out, seemingly calming down just a bit as his fingers relaxed. Giving a nod, he spoke up, a bit settled down from before. "Yeah, thank goodness though the process to turn a Pokémon into a shadow Pokémon…doesn't last permanently. It's rough on the Trainer and Pokémon, but over time a Pokémon can be purified of tha effects with time and effort, so long as they aren' put through tha Shadow process again."

"Really? That's good… so they're gone for good, right?"

"Hopefully…" Zero mumbled softly.

"I hope so myself" TJ sighed out, holding his hand to his face, covering one eye as he glared to the floor "If I never see tha one pink head again, I'll never worry about keeping food down ever again…"

"Mew…"

"…But wait… if someone stole the gauntlet, then…" Hiiro mumbled, suddenly realizing the problem.

"Bingo. We might have a repeat of that on our hands if we're not careful…"

The girl growled a little, rubbing her fist in her palm as she muttered "if I see someone like those Snagem guys or ciphers…well sides that Wessy guy, if I only stamp their faces they'll be lucky!"

"…Man… this sucks…" Hiiro mumbled, leaning back on the couch.

"What does?" came a casual voice from the backdoor.

"Gah, Z cha know I hate when cha come outta nowhere like…tha…" the silverhead growled out, though he soon began blinking in surprise. "Whao, what happened?"

Zienna allowed a small smirk as she chuckled, rotating her shoulder a bit. Even under the suit she wore, it was obvious she was pretty beat up, and she had a bruise on her cheek that almost looked like a scorch mark. "Oh, nothing much… I just got my ass handed to me by a newcomer."

"You got WHAT?" Zero got out in surprise. "You got beat by someone taking you on on the first run?"

"Yep."

Looking to the girl curiously, TJ muttered out, turning over to Zero. "Erm, wha never happened before…an seriously Z-gal it looks like cha tha one who got hit by tha attacks…"

Hissing a little as she rubbed her arms, Ketlin grumbled out "If she and Shin synched again course she got hit…"

"Synched… wait… huh?" Hiiro blinked out in surprise, even as Zienna walked in and dropped onto a chair, hissing as she suddenly shoved her shoulder back, making it crack audibly.

"Iiiiitaaaaaa!" she hissed out, before letting out a small sigh and snagged one of the remaining glasses, downing it in one go.

Looking to her a bit, the silverhead frowned out "Cha reached full empathic synchronization?"

Zienna merely hummed as she set the glass down and leaned back. "Took a while to perfect though… ne, Shin?" she quipped, looking up to the ceiling.

_Quite,_ echoed through everyone's heads.

"Gah!" Hiiro yelped, before looking up in surprise. "…Eep!"

Following Hiiro's gaze in shock, TJ actually stumbled back a bit, bumping into a table in surprise "Th-that's Shin…He's a Mewtwo, cha a Mewtwo!"

Shin merely allowed a smirk from where he was laying on his back in mid-air, and waved with one hand, before flicking one finger up and making one of the glasses rise up to him. Snagging it in one hand, he spun around to sit up straight and downed the entire glass in the same way as Zienna had earlier.

"You're not looking so well, either, Shin," Zero mumbled.

_Oh well… I had fun, that's what counts,_ Shin 'said' simply.

"Nrgh, the only thing I'm upset more about this sides you being in my head again," the girl growled, looking up to the 'clone' classed Pokémon…or his descendant, "Is the fact I'm not the one who did that to ya."

"So…who DID do this to ya, Sis?" Zero asked curiously.

"Oh, some kid just passing through. Said he was doing it just for fun," Zeal said absently as Shin put down his glass on the table again. "His last Pokémon was one he wasn't intending to use, though… said he considered it to be 'cheating'. But Shin was itching for a good fight."

_So were you,_ Shin chuckled out.

"Oh hush."

Looking up to the Mewtwo, the silverhead chuckled. "Jeez, never thought I'd see a Pokémon tha could match Z-gals challenge liken thrill…Still though, a Pokémon tha would be considered 'cheating to use' against a Mewtwo? Not many can be named tha could easily trounce cha guys."

Ketlin frowned, but quickly blinked, after catching a few whiffs from the air. "! Reshiram?"

Zienna quirked an eyebrow at Ketlin. "Oh you know that Pokémon?"

"Reshiram…?" Hiiro murmured in confusion.

"We ran into each other ya can say. Lexicon's my friend."

Turning to Hiiro, after quirking his own brows with a chuckle TJ answered "One of tha split dragons from Unova, basically a legendary fire dragon…powerful one at that…yeah tha would probably do it against even a two…"

"Oh…"

Shin merely shrugged and stretched briefly, moving back to lay on his back in mid-air, hands behind his back and tail swaying lightly through the air.

Smirking a little bit, the young girl snirked out to Shin "Now I'm just upset I missed you getting hit by a Fusion Flare."

Shin had nothing to say to that and merely hovered in the air like that.

Giving his daughter a look, which at least partly silenced her, though not much to still her grin, before looking up to the Mewtwo curiously. "…Zienna…sactly…how'd cha get this guy…I kinda remember cha not being interested in catchen a 'legendary'…and well time warp or not, Mewtwo would be classed as one."

Zienna merely shrugged and reclined a little further in her seat. "I didn't 'catch' him. He just tagged along after I was done training him and his siblings."

"Training?" Hiiro asked in surprise.

"Whether they're still legendary or not… Mewtwo would have a hard time defending themselves against Dark types. I figured they'd need some help in learning some moves to do just that," Zienna said plainly.

"Ahuh" TJ said a bit, raising an eyebrow curiously as he looked upt to Shin for a few moments. After a bit though, he began to break out into a little chuckle

Shin remained quiet, before he looked over to TJ from the corner of his eyes dryly. _Har. har, hardy har._

Still chuckling, the father retorted "Hey, sue me for picturen tha two of cha with bit more appealen personalities."

Zienna merely rolled her eyes.

Looking up to the Mewtwo, Ketlin grumbled out "You really need to stop going in people's heads, just rude"

"That's just how they talk, little one," Zienna said solemnly, cricking her neck briefly.

Hearing that, Ketlin growled out "Don't call me that, and he still peeped at papa's thoughts…"

Zero merely chuckled. "So, how'd Ames do?"

"She passed," Zienna said simply.

Hearing that, the silverhead gave an approving chuckle and nod "Good on her, guess shell be headen off from Crystal soon then?"

"Actually, she only has half the badge, now," Hiiro said suddenly. "Crystal is different from other Gym towns because you need to beat both Gym Leaders to receive the badge."

"Hmhmm," Zienna hummed with a small nod.

Looking to the Gym Leader, her face deadpanning at the news, Ketlin grumbled out bitterly "Uugh you did have a gimmick!"

Zienna merely smirked.

"Heheh… Anyway, you two should rest up," Zero quipped. "My guess is you'll need it."

Frowning, Ketlin looked over "I was sleeping for hours…"

"and cha also got upset cha need ta calm down for one before Crystal Island becomes spook type central…" TJ retorted quickly.

Crossing her arms, the girl gave a small huff, looking away a bit bitterly

Hiiro merely allowed a small smile. "Don't worry, Kets, we'll manage this time, I'm sure."

Blinking in surprise, Ketlin turned over, looking to Hiiro curiously "eh?"

"Here it comes…" TJ muttered out lowly

Reaching over without warning, Ketlin grabbed the boys ear, tugging on it a bit as she looked to it "Ya ears okay Hiiry? I didn't say I was worried. Course I'm gonna stomp on Zeena and the other Leader no problems. Woulda been taking that Niities on right now if Deva and Thorns behaved better today is all"

"Ow! Hey, watch it will ya?"

Zero merely chuckled, and Zienna merely shook her head with a smile.


	16. Chapter 15 Shaval of Aether

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 15: Shaval of Aether**

* * *

The following day came a little later than the previous days, but still rather early. However, the moment the group awoke in Zero's house… they realized that something was off. Oswald's bed was unmade, as though he'd leapt from under the covers in the middle of the night. Kuroi was nowhere to be seen either, nor was Zero's Houndoom. The blonde in question was, equally, nowhere to be found.

Shortly put; the place was deserted.

Rubbing some of the sleep from her eyes with the back of her wrist, the young adventuress blinked out sheepishly "Heck's goen on?"

Hiiro looked around for a moment, before blinking and walking to the fridge and pulling off a note taped to it.

"'Went out. Won't be back until later. Zienna's not at the Gym today for a while,'" he read aloud.

Hearing that seem to fully wake her up, looking to the boy quickly leaning her head over to see the note "Wha? Grr that's so lame!"

"…" Hiiro, however, was frowning darkly at the note, as though seeing something Ketlin wasn't seeing.

Giving a slight cough to get the pairs attention, TJ began to pull out plates and such, setting to fix up breakfast quickly. "Probably for tha best, seeing cha two could use a little training."

"…TJ…" Hiiro said suddenly, holding out the note. "Does this look like 'normal' writing to you?"

Glancing over a bit, the silverhead blinked a bit, narrowing his eyes as he reached out to take the note to look it over carefully. "…it's not"

"Thought so…" Hiiro mumbled, putting his cap on. "I'll pass on breakfast. I'm heading out," was all he said before leaving the house.

Blinking a bit at that, The girl quickly snatched up her pack, following the boy in a hurry. "Not without me"

Growling, TJ quickly grabbed Ketlin's footwear, tossing them over to the pair just as the doors closed. "FLIP FLOPS!…" Looking to the note again, TJ muttered "What had cha two in such a rush…"

* * *

Once outside, Hiiro let Eevee from his Pokéball. "Eevee, we need to find Zero and Oswald. Can you locate your brother? He's probably with them."

Hopping to slip on her footwear, the girl looked over to Hiiro with a frown "Think its really that bad?"

"I'm not sure," Hiiro murmured as Eevee started sniffing on the ground, before hurrying on ahead, the two Trainers hurrying after. "We'll find out when we get to them, I suppose…"

"Okay…but if I need to henshin and can't find any other spot to dive you better keep me covered, Hiiry."

"Fine by me."

"And no peeping"

"Fine, just get on with it."

"Huh, in the street you nuts everyone would see my identity!" The girl growled

Hiiro sighed a little, before Eevee ducked into an alleyway. "Well, there's your cover," he mumbled, following after.

"Okay that works, least it's not a phone booth," the girl muttered as she found some cover.

Hiiro merely waited for a moment, watching the streets to see if he could, by chance, spot anyone he recognized.

Coming out quickly as she finished her mask and gloves, 'Kamen trainer' rushed off, quickly snagging on Hiiro to chase after his sniffing Eevee.

Before long, though, Hiiro stopped and pulled the girl and his Eevee back, covering their mouths before they could say anything. "Ssh!" he hissed, pointing ahead of them.

A little further up ahead, in an abandoned area of the city, stood Zienna, Zero, X, Oswald and his girlfriend, Gwendolyn, and even Vent. The looks on their faces were a combination of panic and rage.

Blinking a bit to that behind her mask, the girl reached up, removing Hiiro's hand from her mouth as she frowned, the boy momentarily hearing a hushed sound of her voice in the back of her head wondering what was going on.

* * *

"You're sure she hasn't been back?" Zero asked, trying to keep his calm but failing.

"You think I wouldn't notice if she didn't come back!" Zienna hissed out. "Of course I'm sure!"

X was silent for a long time, a Murkrow perched upon his shoulder. "So both Amalia and Haru disappeared at the same time?"

"Yes…" Vent murmured, rubbing his temples in both worry and agitation; worry over the disappearance of his daughter and agitation (and beginning anger) at whoever had dared to take her with him.

Zienna wasn't any better, nearly seeing red in her anger. She was dressed in her usual attire again, rather than the suit she had worn during the Gym Challenge with Ketlin. Oswald and the girl from Pidgeot's Air Glide, Gwendolyn, stood by the side, with Gwen looking awfully worried, while Oswald was frowning as darkly as his aunt was.

"When was the last time you saw them, Vent," Zero asked.

"On the Ferris Wheel… I wasn't feeling too well at that time, so I declined going with them…" the Representative admitted. "Right now, I wish I did go with them, though…"

Zienna growled softly, before she retorted: "There's no time to regret what we've done! Gwendolyn!"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Have you deployed each of your birds?"

"Yes."

"Zero?"

"Rush is on it already," the blonde said with a nod.

"X?"

"I set up the waters to prevent anyone from leaving."

"Good. I want this mess resolved today before the sun sets. No one leaves from or comes to Crystal Island until they are found! GO!"

With that, the group dispersed as one, each one going into a different direction.

* * *

Hiiro was quiet for a moment, before he whispered: "Amalia and Haru are missing?"

Crossing her arms, leaning back a bit into the boys shoulders Ketlin muttered "Their souls were adventures, but not irresponsible, they wouldn't have gone off like that to worry everyone…"

"…Something's definitely off…" Hiiro mumbled, before turning to Ketlin. "Should we inform your dad?"

"Tom's not as strong or fast as he used to be, but his sense of smell is still pretty sharp," the masked girl retorted, standing straight again with a nod. "Him an papa would be a big help. I'm sure grampa is already looking, too."

"Yeah… let's go back for a moment then."

* * *

"Missing?"

"Yeah," Hiiro said with a nod. "Apparently, Vent lost sight of them at the Ferris Wheel.

"Gah, why didn' they…" the silverhead sighed out, quickly bringing his fingers together to his lips, letting out a high pitched whistle. "Front center, everyone!"

All at once, TJs bag gave a violent shake as the numerous Pokéballs within popped open, the beams of light shooting this way and that, forming Tom, Kantar, Hita, Oni and Ko. The group of Pokémon looking curiously to their Trainer.

"Serious problem gang, Ami and Haruchi's missing without a sign."

Blinking to that in surprise, the fire type growled out "Arc? Canine?"

"Donno," TJ sighed out in response, before nodding seriously. "Either way, we gotta look tha island. Kantar, cha an Oni double team tha sky, double helix formation back an forth."

"Gligar!" The little ground/flying type saluted, quickly hopping onto the steel bug's claw as the pair rushed off, quickly taking flight through the window.

Turning to the unicorn-like fire horse, the silverhead nodded. "Hita, cha and Ko team up, look along the park. Kay?"

Giving a whinney in confirmation, Hita leaned down, letting the ground type climb along her neck, the little Cubone waving as they started to head off (taking a moment as Ko had to open the door knob for them).

"…So where do we go?" Hiiro wondered aloud.

Patting his Arcanine's neck as they began to walk off, the elder Shonen nodded. "Here at Zero's."

"…Huh?"

"Huh!" Ketlin blurted, frowning in response. "We can help too, well look in the forest by where she trains with…"

"No. Stay here…on tha off chance they're not missing by their own reasons, I wanna make sure cha two are safe," TJ said firmly in response, pointing the ground as he added "Stay-put."

"But-!"

"Papa!"

Giving the pair a look, the silverhead was obviously unmoving in this matter. "STAY-HERE!"

Hiiro flinched back, and Eevee yipped, ducking behind his Trainer's legs.

"…Sorry…please jus stay here" TJ said a bit more gently, before heading out, hopping on Tom's back as they exited the house and rushed off

"…" Hiiro was silent for a moment, before looking to Ketlin. "What do you think?"

"…Papa just doesn't want to see us hurt if something bad happend…"

"That's not what I meant…" Hiiro sighed. "I was asking what you think we should do now."

Looking to him at that, Ketlin gave a mischievous grin, sliding the mask she had on her forehead in place "I said he was worried for us thats why he acted like that. But since he's worried, how can we not be and go out to find Ami's and Haru's."

At that, Hiiro actually allowed a smirk. "Well, why are we still standing here, then?"

"Cause your slow to pick up my hints" Ketlin said, quickly rushing out the door

"Hey hold up!" Hiiro called out, hurrying after.

* * *

"Over there is Crescent Forest," Hiiro said, pointing to the massive forest behind the Gym.

"Seems like a good place to look as any, well that the grownups haven't taken yet," the girl sighed, starting to walk ahead, the Pokéball to her boot quickly giving a shake as it popped open, the dark type, Absol coming out with a yawn. "Let's get sniffing."

"Vee!"

"…They are not in the forest."

Letting the last of the sleepy yawn out, Kamiyu sniffed the air, before blinking, looking over to the voice curiously. "Ab…"

Standing behind them, was Maeryn, his hands in his pockets and watching them with a silent stare. And standing behind him, mostly hidden from view, was a tiny Pokémon about a foot shorter than he was, peeking around him with one large, purple eye.

Seeing the boy, Ketlin's brow arched, hidden at least behind the mask. But spotting the small 'clone' classed Pokémon, she had to fight a bit at the urge to giggle at its form. "…ehm, you know this for certain…how?"

"…Sora told me," Maeryn said silently, nodding a little to the small Mewtwo hiding behind him.

Hearing that, 'Kamen Trainer's' hands clenched tightly, her Pokémon looking up curiously, before turning to the young Mewtwo. "Absol, ab sol absol ab?"

The small Mewtwo mewled and ducked away further behind Maeryn. "…if we knew where they were, we would not be looking…" the boy said solemnly.

"Yeah but… isn't there some place you haven't tried yet?" Hiiro asked.

Managing to calm down from the Mewtwo, Sora's, appearance, the masked girl crossed her arms with a sigh. "Grr…okay, so…Sora…says they're not here…they were at the park when they were last seen…"

Rather than respond, though, Maeryn brought up his hand and pointed behind them, making the duo look back and up… right at the mountain where Zero had fallen off from on their first on day on Crystal.

"…Oh you gotta be…" Hiiro murmured.

"That far?" The girl blinked, turning to Maeryn curiously "I don't suppose the people of crystal island have a tram for that…"

"…there are sky trams set up… but access is limited at this point…" Maeryn said simply.

"Then how do we get up?" Hiiro murmured softly.

"…That is simple…"

Rubbing at her arms, almost to try and roll up the sleeves of her costume, the girl responded "Climb""

"…simpler…"

"Huh…?"

Blinking, the girl turned over to Maeryn curiously, muttering "You happen to have a flying type big enough for all of us?"

At that, Maeryn merely shook his head, before starting to walk off toward the mountain without a word. Hiiro blinked a few times, before he shrugged and walked after.

Kamen Trainer gave her own sigh, shrugging to follow the boy simply. Her Absol following in kind, taking a better lead from the two humans, looking over to the young Mewtwo a bit, "…"

* * *

Before long, they came by where the sky trams would depart from. Currently, though, all of the trams were at a standstill, and only a single person was in the small house that had all the controls for the trams in it.

"Okay, now what?" Hiiro asked after picking up Eevee from the ground.

"Hmm…" Ketlin muttered, rubbing her chin a bit as she looked to the trams, her Absol giving a look around himself cautiously

"…" Maeryn was silent, merely looking around briefly.

Just then, the man noticed them and seemed to curse, before getting up and opening the door, calling out: "Hey! We're closed right now, kids! You wanna go up, you'll have to co-"

However, before he could finish, Maeryn glanced over blandly, briefly shutting his eyes, before his eyes snapped open and they burned a vicious blood red, seeming to glow and making the man stop dead in his tracks.

"Wha?" Hiiro choked out.

Shutting her eyes tight herself, The masked girl growled up "you…What are you doing?"

Maeryn chose not to respond, bringing up his hand before he snapped his fingers - after which the man collapsed in a heap.

"What did you?"

"He is unconscious… will be for a long time…" Maeryn said simply, before he flicked his finger about, as if he was flicking a few switches. "He will not stop us from ascending like this…" he added, before curling his finger and snapping his hand to the side, making the door of one of the carts snap open.

Looking to the boy, after shaking her head a bit, Kamen Trainer made her way to the cart with a frown. "Interesting plan you come up with…"

Maeryn chose not to respond as they headed into the tram, its engine beginning to hum life as the door clicked shut behind them on its own.

Hiiro looked to the door, before he quipped: "Do you have Psychic Pokémon DNA in you or something?"

"…"

"There's plenty of powerful human Psychics, challenger," Ketlin responded, crossing her arms to look out the window as she looked around for a moment. "There's a particularly powerful one within the Kanto regions who may be a match for even the Mewtwo race."

Just then, Maeryn snapped his fingers, and the sky tram shook briefly, before beginning to move upward, steadily.

"…Well, guess we're off…" Hiiro murmured, settling on one of the seats.

The girl didn't say anything herself, reaching down only to scratch her Absol's back, who was alternating between watching the scenery and the obviously mentally powerful boy respectfully.

Maeryn merely stared ahead, while Sora stayed close to him, tail twitching lightly.

Spotting the Mewtwo, Kamiyu moved from besides his trainer a bit, nodding up to Sora as he gave a small smile muttering "Absol."

The Psychic type yelped as Absol approached and ducked back behind Maeryn, who didn't even bother with the skittish cat.

Blinking a bit, obviously taking aback, the dark type muttered out with a slightly embarrassed chuckle "A-aabsol sol? Ab sol absol."

The light gray Pokémon only peeked at Kamiyu from under Maeryn's arm, not moving away from the boy.

Sitting back a bit, the crescent horned Pokémon held up his paw, waving a little to Sora a little meekly, muttering something in Pokémon, which would roughly translate in human as 'I hope I won't be this awkward with my kids…'

Hiiro watched the small Mewtwo for a moment, before he asked: "Hey, Maeryn, just how old is Sora?"

"…seven months…"

"And has he ever been around other humans or Pokémon before?"

"…only his own kind and myself…"

"Hmhmm…"

As Maeryn said that, it obviously caught some attention from the mask wearing girl who gave a faint twitch, not easily noticeable but being that of her turning a bit to listen in a bit better.

"Absol?" Kamiyu muttered, smiling a little towards the young psychic type friendly. "Absol ab," he said. apparently trying to have some conversation again.

The small Mewtwo mewled softly, sticking behind Maeryn, and not seeming too eager to talk. Maeryn remained silent as the sky tram continued its journey upwards, not seeming to mind that the Psychic type was almost clinging to his arm like a leech.

"…So I'm guessing you were put in charge of his 'training', huh?"

"…yes."

"Figures…"

Sighing a bit 'in defeat', the Dark type went over back beside his trainer again, looking down a little as the girl scratched his neck. "Ab…"

"…where are they…" the girl muttered, narrowing her eyes at the mountain as the tram continued along its route.

After a few moments more, the sky tram came to a halt.

"…we are here…" Maeryn said simply as the door slid open.

"I was expecting a little more cold, actually…" Hiiro murmured as they stepped out.

"…The sky tram does not go that high…"

"That's good, if they are at least this low still they shouldn't catch anything," the masked girl said, starting to walk off with her Absol hopping soon after.

Maeryn said nothing, walking ahead of the other Trainers after Hiiro had set Eevee back down. The small Pokémon tottered after happily, occasionally yipping at Kamiyu and Sora, but otherwise just hurrying along.

Kamiyu sniffed around, hopping along the rocks a bit speedily, growling now and then, but otherwise not much else to show signs he had anything for the moment

Suddenly, Maeryn stopped dead as a gentle wind ruffled their clothes. "…the wind…"

"…? Is something wrong?"

Stopping herself, the masked girl grit her teeth, muttering something that had Kamiyu speed back besides the group. "Shh…"

"…" Maeryn said nothing, and instead just continued walking, with Sora hurrying to catch up.

"H-hey…! Wait up!" Hiiro called out.

Ketlin followed the boy quietly, the Absol blinking a bit, but kept close none the less. The dark type giving a small growl to Eevee and his trainer as if to say they should stay close

* * *

"Well well well… that went easier than I thought it would…" laughed a masked individual, a black creature standing atop a heavy box, its arms crossed over its chest. It was a black Pokémon with razor sharp nails of nearly 5 inches long, and long, red feathers adorning its head; a Weavile.

"Heheh… now all that's left is-"

"The heck're ya doin' calling me out here?"

"Oh!" the masked man chirped, whipping around with a grin to face the purple-haired Gym Leader of Crystal. "Why hello! So glad you could come!"

"Cut the crap…" Nitira grumbled, covering her mouth with the back of her hand to stifle a yawn. "Why'd ya have to wake me up so bloody early? Ya got any idea what time it is?"

The man said nothing for a moment, grin dropping for a moment, before coming back in full. "Well, I just figured ya'd wanna know that boss is preparing to have this place fixed up soon. And then you can be the only Gym Leader of this place, just like you wanted, right?"

"…" Nitira was silent to that, but her face was contorted into a frown as she glanced around at all the grunts that stood about. All of them were masked, wearing the same getup. After a moment, she turned back to the admin.

"…What's yer point, Shaval?" she demanded icily.

"Heheh… well, ya can't make an omelet without breakin' some eggs, right?" the admin, Shaval, chortled out. "So we got a present ready for when boss wakes up the beasties."

"…Present?" Nitira murmured.

* * *

Frowning behind her mask, Ketlin turned to the pair of boys curiously, obviously not in a pleasant tone as they eavesdropped behind a fair sized bolder. "What's that creep flappen about…?"

Hiiro lightly shrugged his shoulders, before turning to Maeryn. "How does your mom know a Team Aether admin?"

"…he stopped by once before…" Maeryn said softly. "Why… I don't know…"

"Well," Shaval quipped. "Gotta give 'em somethin' if we wanna get this place back to the way it's supposed ta be, right? Isn't that what you want, too? To get back in action, huh?"

"…" Nitira chose not to respond to that, standing silently before Team Aether's admin.

* * *

Gritting her teeth, Kamen Trainer began to twist her footing into the ground, obviously getting ready for 'action' herself as her temper began to rise

* * *

"Well, anyway, did ya decide yet? Boss said he needed an answer soon before we head out," Shaval quipped.

"…How do you plan to leave?" Nitira said simply. "Aibou has the entire island shut off right now since those brats of hers ran off."

"Ooooh, I know," Shaval laughed, his grin expanding even more. "And we got our ways…"

* * *

"Creep's asking for a rider kick…"

Hiiro was silent, keeping Eevee restrained in his arms. His eyes fell on the large crate that the Weavile was standing upon and frowned. "…Hey, can either of you see what's in there?"

Looking to him for a moment, Ketlin turned her attention to the crate, giving a shake of her head. "Just a second…Seeing isn't always believing anyway," she muttered, shutting her eyes as she put her hand to the rock and dirt under them. A few moments later, she snapped her attention up alert. "!"

"Ke-Kamen?" Hiiro corrected himself just in time.

Maeryn frowned darkly. "…they're in the box…" he mumbled.

"Can't tell how they are…" the girl growled out, her hand clenching onto a stone as she looked to the other boy quickly. "Can you?"

"…they are unconscious… that is all I can say…" Maeryn murmured softly.

Giving a slight nod, the girl began to look around, before nodding to her Absol, who stood up along the side of the boulder, starting to give the girl a boost.

"…wait…" the boy said softly. "…I will distract them… get behind them and take out the Weavile…"

"…Will you be alright?" Hiiro asked.

"…Mother will not allow them to touch me…" Maeryn said solemnly.

Growling a bit, the girl steadied herself as she got down, nodding as she took Hiiro's hand, quickly but quietly starting to make their way as Absol nodded to Maeryn and Sora to be careful, hopping after the other pair quickly.

Maeryn waited for them to be out of the way for a moment, before he stood, helping Sora up, too, and walked forward. "…Mother…"

At that simple word, Nitira tensed and whipped around, many of the Aether grunts turning to face him in equal, if not more, surprise. "Maeryn!" she choked out.

The boy was silent as he walked forward slowly with Sora.

"Oh? Is that what I think it is?" Shaval said in actual surprise upon spotting the Mewtwo. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise, ain't it? Why don't you boys-"

"If you touch one HAIR on either of their heads I'll rip your bloody teeth out yer jaw shove 'em through yer eyes into yer brain!" Nitira snarled out in fury, causing all the grunts that had stepped toward the boy to leap back in surprise.

, and a little bit in fear.

"Hey, c'mon now… That Pokémon would be a sweet present for the boss, yanno? Especially if ya're signing up, right?" Shaval chortled out.

"…Just what kind of present do you have in that box, anyway?" Nitira snarled out.

But before Shaval could say anything, the Weavile was suddenly sent smashing into his back, making the admin howl out in surprise.

Along the crate where the Weavile was standing, Kamiyu and Eevee were now in its place, growling angrily to the Aether Grunts with their claws and fangs full bare, their Trainers coming out from besides the box, with the girl's Golett cracking its knuckles ready for combat himself.

"Why don't we 'unwrap' this gift a little early, don't you agree?"

"Let's, why don't we?"

With that, both Hiiro and Kamen Trainer reached for the lid and threw it off as one, sending it flying into the grunts trying to stop them from doing so.

"Sorry boys, didn't see ya there," the masked girl grinned out cheekily, her Dark type hopping down from the crate taking the boys Eevee down with him

"Vee-vee!" Eevee 'barked' out, though it sounded more like yipping as Hiiro reached into the crate.

"Kamen, gimme a hand with them, will you?" he asked of the girl.

The girl nodded, quickly reaching in to grab under the first set of arms she could find as she helped Hiiro out "Better have yourself ready, Gym Leader. I don't think you'll be liking these guys as friends for long."

Nitira frowned in slight question, until the two kids pulled out the unconscious forms of Amalia and Haru. Both girls were definitely out of it, though thankfully, Amalia still appeared to have her Pokéballs on her.

"…You kidnapped Aibou's daughters?" Nitira mumbled icily, her head lowered so that her eyes were shaded by her bangs.

Shaval snarled angrily. "What's the problem with that? 's Not like it would've hurt ya, would it? Wouldn't it have been to your benefit-"

But before Shaval could finish, a dark blue aura suddenly shimmered from one of the Pokéballs secured on Nitira's belt, before it snapped open and a single Pokémon appeared. One that Hiiro and Ketlin had already seen before then;

An adult Mewtwo.

The only difference with this one and Shin, was that its tail was a dark bluish-purple rather than just purple, and the expression on its face was by far more vicious than Zienna's Mewtwo.

"Ab?" The dark type blinked in surprise, seemingly stepping back a bit as the mewtwo was released from his Pokéball suddenly, Kamiyu's Trainer standing her ground, though it seem to take a bit of force to keep her from responding otherwise.

"Wh-what the…!" Shaval choked out.

"Raynie… Synchronize," Nitira hissed

The Mewtwo's eyes flashed dark purple for a moment, at the same time as Nitira's, and the duo smashed one fist into the other palm, cracking the knuckles. "Let me tell you something…" Nitira hissed out. "They say 'hell hath no wrath like a woman scorned'… but if that woman is also a mother… NEVER mess with her!"

And then, she moved and the Mewtwo, Raynie, rushed forward with a furious hiss.

But before it could hit Shaval, who had definitely been the target, Weavile leapt in the way and blocked the incoming punch with a glare. "Weav!" it screeched, lashing out with both claws.

Raynie managed to avoid the Slash easily, and immediately snapped its arm forward, striking the Dark/Ice type's jaw and sending it smashing into its Trainer.

"Gak!" Shaval yowled out.

Just as Shaval began to fall back with his Weavile though, a second impact hit him, from behind right in the back of his head, sending the Aether trainer and his Pokémon smacking into the ground, a girl's voice snarling out "Rider kick…"

Kamen Trainer growled, quickly hopping back as her Ghost/Ground type levitated over, glaring to the masked man "Don't mind this too much, Gym leader. I just have my own anger to work off on these guys. Cause of this stunt of theirs, I missed my chance to train to defeat you personally."

Hiiro allowed a small smile as he set the two unconscious girls together, trying to keep them warm, since the area was still pretty cold, despite it being well above freezing, still.

After a seconds thought, Kamen Trainer glared down to the 'Rider Kick' victim with a snarl. "That, and anyone who messes with 'that treasure' should eat dirt…" she spat out, clenching her fist tightly as her Pokémon matched her motions

Shaval got up just then, wiping some blood from his mouth. "Ooohh… now you're asking for it, kiddo…" he hissed.

And suddenly, Weavile was up and rushing right at Ketlin rather than her Golett, roaring in fury and its arm reared back as though planning to spear her on it.

Just as the dark/ice type was in striking distance, the masked girls fist came up, hitting the Weaviles face, while a second, larger and sandstone textured fist came into its back. Growling, the girl snarled out just as a powerful blast erupted from her Goletts knuckles "Dynamicpunch!"

"Weav!" the Weavile leapt over Golett and prepared to strike again - only to get a burst of water to its face that sent it flying back.

"Sorry for the intrusion," Hiiro chuckled as Quagsire lightly flopped her tail on the ground. "Couldn't let you have all the fun, ne?"

"Hm, since these guys don't play rules, why should you, challenger?" the girl grinned, letting her arm relax alongside her, the boy could notice the bruises along her arm from the shockwave from her Ghost type's punch attack as she glared to the Aether member. "You might as well give up and get a little less beaten down now, seeing how out gunned you are."

But just as she said that, Toku had to leap back to avoid the massive claw that would've smashed him into the ground. The power behind the claw shattered the rocks with minimal effort. Standing in between the Golett and Shaval was a Scizor, only its limbs seemed more bulky than Kantar's had been.

Hiiro frowned a little, before glancing to where Nitira was. The Gym Leader had her hands full with the grunts, despite how easy she made them seem. "Guess we can get some training in of our own…" he said, pulling out another Pokéball. "Houndour!" he called out, letting the Fire/Dark Pokémon out.

The small Pokémon growled upon spotting the Bug/Steel type, before barking ferociously.

"Hmph, guess so, Challenger" Kamen trainer said simply, stretching out her neck, Golett matching the girls motions with his shoulders "Tried to save them some face. Oh well, guess we get to smash our prints all over them instead!"

The Scizor merely watched them silently, before snarling and rushing forward at the two dual types.

"Flamethrower!" Hiiro cried out, and instantly, Houndour let out a burst of fire at the charging Pokémon.

However, the Scizor lashed out with one claw, the swing dispersing the flames almost easily, before it was upon Houndour and snapped its claw shut on the smaller Pokémon.

"Bar!"

Kicking off for the Steel/Bug, Toku quickly lashed out with a series of left and right, high muscled punches for the Aether Pokémon's back

"Grr, dammit makes me wish Toku…" Ketlin began, though blinked a bit quickly calling over "Call out another Flamethrower!"

"…? Okay. Houndour! Again!" Hiiro shouted.

Houndour whined, but didn't question it and released a steady stream of fire from his jaws.

Just as the Houndour did, the Golett did something shocking, he leapt right into the stream of flames quickly whipping around as his arm began to tense behind it. Along the sidelines, the masked girl synchronized with him gave a heavy hiss, before throwing her fist out sharply as she snarled out "Eat-This!" As she did, Golett released another massive punch. The explosive force of the Dynamic Punch knocking him back, but the sudden blast sent the flames around it rocketing right into the Scizor in the shape of a massive fist.

"SCIZ!" the Scizor screeched, the punch knocking it back, dropping Houndour from its grasp.

The smaller Pokémon landed on his paws, hissing in pain as he glared at the Scizor.

"…Kamen, something's… different about these Pokémon… I don't know what… but…" Hiiro murmured.

"Nrgh," Ketlin hissed a bit, holding her arm, Toku doing the same with a worried expression (if you could call it that) on the Ghost/Ground types face as she nodded. "Yeah, I know…but we got more problems than that…Toku's out of Dynamic punches and he's got nothing else in him that could dent this guy."

Houndour looked at the Golett for a moment longer, before taking a deep breath, seemingly gathering his strength. The Scizor snarled angrily, before its claws snapped open and it rushed right at them with such speed it was almost a blur.

But before it could hit them, Houndour reared back, before letting loose a powerful burst of fire, shaping itself in a five-pinned wave, surprising both Trainers at least a little.

Looking in surprise, the young girl looked over in amazement to the young Dark/Fire type. "Fire Blast? Now that's one inferno in that pup's guts!"

"Houndour aren't supposed to learn that one without help, though…" Hiiro mumbled as the blast hit the Scizor head on, making the Bug/Steel screech in pain. 'Did he… learn that from Nitira's Houndoom?'

Houndour smirked a little, panting for breath, even as the Scizor struggled back to its feet.

The Golett blinked a bit, but raised its fist, giving the Dark/Fire type a thumbs up and nod. "Go-lett!" Turning back to the Scizor, the Ghost/Ground type reared its arm back glaring. "Goool-LETT" Jabbing its fist downward into its own shadow, the shadow beneath the Bug/Steel type's feet extended into a fist, smashing right under its chin in an effective uppercut.

"ZOR!"

Just as it shouted that, Houndour let out another stream of fire… but at the same time, some of the flames spiraled around its body, until it hid its entire body from view.

"Houndou-W-whoa…!" Hiiro choked out as the Scizor dropped and the flames dissipated entirely.

"Might want to try his name again, Challenger," The girl grinned out, taking a stance as Toku did the same readying for anything.

Hiiro allowed a small smirk of his own, watching as the Dark/Fire type had grown in size, a pair of horns extending from beside its ears and its elongated tail tipped with a spike; a Houndoom.

"Well, at least-OH SHIT MOVE!" Hiiro yowled, snagging up the two unconscious girls and diving aside as Houndoom knocked Ketlin and Golett aside before they could be trampled by the large, brown bull-like Pokémon, its whip like tails lashing out violently; a Tauros.

Growling as she (and her Pokémon) rolled and skid to their feet, the masked girl snarled looking to the wild bull Pokémon. "Dammit they're like roaches!"

Shaking his own head, Toku muttered something to the dark fire type, glaring getting its fists ready as it stared down the Tauros. "Golett gol!"

The bull Pokémon snorted angrily, its breath coming from its nostrils as white smoke, before it reared back on its hindlegs with a loud cry and smashed its hooves down - a powerful Earthquake rocking the entire area.

"Grrah!" Ketlin hiss yowled out, steadying herself as her Pokémon managed to stand his ground (probably helped by his heavy weight). "You crazy were on a mountain baka!"

No sooner had she said that, or the ground beneath their feet suddenly cracked, creating a chasm in the ground.

"Hey wha-WHOA!" Hiiro's voice cried out just before he let out a scream as both he and the girls fell into the chasm.

"BARK!" Houndoom barked in panic, before rushing after and leaping down after his Trainer along with Quagsire.

"HIIRY, AMI, HARU!" Kamen Trainer shouted, trying to rush over to catch them, only for her Ghost type to grab onto her. "No…Kamiyu!"

Giving a bark affirmative, the dark type rushed by, leaping off from the Tauros' head as he rapidly bound along the chasm walls down after the group.

Watching her Dark type vanish, the girl turned around, glaring to the mad bull, her Golett smashing its knuckles together to match her glare. "Who the hell…"

The Tauros briefly shook its head, before letting out a loud moo and rushing for Ketlin and Toku, its tails striking its own body to fuel its rage even further.

"Do you think…" She growled, steadily rearing her arm back, her other hand held out in front palm open, her Pokémon matching as energy began to build to its readied arm.

Just as the bull had its horns ready to impale the pair, Toku swung all its weight into the punch, smashing right into the middle dot of the Tauros' forehead, sending a massive burst of energy through its fist out as he and his trainer shouted (him of course in Pokémon) "WE ARE?"

The Tauros let out a surprised shout as the punch sent him backwards.

"Gol-lett, golett!" the Ghost/Ground type growled glaring to the Normal type, but quickly blinked when it looked up to his Trainer. "Gol lett gol?"

"Hm, how'd I know you'd get focus punch?" Kamen trainer blinked, shrugging as she said "Didn't, so I just put all our heart and guts into trying it this time."

At that, the Golett actually flopped over.

But just then, the Tauros was suddenly right there and smashed into Toku, sending him flying toward Ketlin.

"GOL!" the little ground type hollered out, being snagged by his trainer who had to dig her heels into the ground to stop the impact. "G-gol-l-leettt."

"Gaahrh!" the girl hissed in return, having to squint a bit to look at the wild bull. "W-what the…that looked like…Tackle but…it-h-hurt?"

Steadying himself quickly to his feet, Toku readied again to fight, but didn't seem much better, looking an absolute mess from that abnormal hit. "G-golett…"

Tauros kicked at the ground, snorting angrily, before moving to rush at Ketlin and Toku again - only to find itself stopped in midair and thrown backwards. No sooner had it hit the ground, Sora landed in front of them, watching the Tauros with an angry frown on his face.

"Sora?" The girl blinked, looking to the Psychic type in surprise, but smiled with a nod, rubbing at the small of her back where she felt the Tauros' attack. "Th-thanks…what's wrong with these guys…" she growled, looking to the wild bull Pokémon, focusing hard past her eyes. "Why the hell can't I feel anything…from…them…" As she finished that, the unmasked part of her face began to pale greatly.

Maeryn was silent as he stepped up beside Ketlin, his eyes lightly glowing as he focused. Sora frowned and brought up his hands as the Tauros got back up. It snorted in fury, before rushing right for the small Mewtwo.

However, Sora, brought his hands together and formed an orb of energy between them, glowing a dark blue, before launching it at Tauros, the hit striking it right in the forehead and sending it flying backwards with a loud moo.

"…" Clenching her fists, Ketlin matched with her Pokémon's motions again, the ghost/ground type glaring angrily as the cracks in his body began to glow brighter from his internal energy. "These…bastards!"

Maeryn chose not to respond, instead focusing on Sora as the small Pokémon lightly rotated his shoulders.

Looking over to the boy, Ketlin quickly muttered "Cha and Sora should get outta here!"

At those words, Maeryn looked over to her silently. "…why?"

"These Pokémon…" she muttered, watching the Normal, or perhaps not so normal type as it got up. "They're…they're not the same…and these guys want to take Sora away…I don't want to have you guys hurt."

"…" Maeryn was silent, before looking back to Sora. "…We will be fine," he said finally, even as the Scizor from before rushed at Sora from the side. However, Sora brought up his hand to the side, and stopped the Bug/Steel type in midair, before knocking him backwards.

"Maeryn, you don't understand…these Pokémon…their attacks do massive damage, always!" Ketlin hissed out, rearing her arm as her Golett got ready, alternating their attention around them for any additional surprises. "These guys…if they get Sora they'll do to him what they did to their Pokémon!"

"…"

Just then, Weavile appeared, snarling in fury as it primed its claws. However, Sora merely took a deep breath.

"…Cover your ears," Maeryn said simply, moving his hands up and covering his own ears.

Blinking, the girl, and her Golett by mimic did so quickly, gritting her teeth as she did so in worry.

Just as they did, Sora let out a powerful screech-like cry. All three Pokémon screamed in pain, reaching up to cover their ears.

Hissing at it, the girl glanced over to the silent boy, trying to bring her spirit back, so to speak, as she began to flex her feet readying for one of her kicks as she looked around to the human members of Aether. 'Which ones…'

"…That should get his father here, soon…"

"Nrgh, that coward…" the girl hissed out as she and Toku shook their heads clear glaring to the other Pokémon, though not as angrily as before towards them exactly.

Just as she said that, the three Pokémon attempted to rush at them again, only to be intercepted by a burst of flame raining down on them from above.

"Eh?" Ketlin blinked, looking skyward towards the source of the flames

As she looked up, the first thing she noticed was a large, dragon-like Pokémon hovering there, its red hide seemingly burning on its own, while the flame burning on the tip of its tail was burning like a large bonfire. It was covered in several old wounds that had scarred over time, giving it an even more dangerous look to it than it already had on its own; a Charizard.

"Charizard?" the girl blinked in surprise, her Golett also blinking a bit before turning his attention back to the other Pokémon cautiously.

A moment later, the Fire type dropped down, and Vent jumped down from the Charizard's back. And one look to his face confirmed one fact; he was pissed as hell.

Looking a bit surprised still, the girl shook it off, nodding quickly to the hole in the ground "The other kids fell down here, but their alright I think…Vent, we can't let these Pokémon run back to Aether's grasp!"

"That so?" Vent snarled out softly, glancing over to the Grunts as they were struggling against Nitira. "Drake! Send them packing for home right now!" he roared out in a tone that was barely different from his Charizard's voice.

The Charizard-Drake-snapped his gaze sideways, before he roared and sent several bursts of fire at them… effectively lighting the grunts' asses on fire and making them run off, yowling in pain.

"That's them gone…" Ketlin growled, pulling out a Pokéball, recalling her Ghost/Ground type before kicking her leg out, calling out her other Unova region Pokémon, Pignite to the field as he snorted at the remaining Pokémon. "How'd you know to come here so quick anyway?"

Just as she said that, Zienna smashed down on the ground behind her. Frowning angrily, she stood up and stepped forward, just before Shin landed not far behind her, his own face contorted into a vicious snarl of his own.

Blinking as she got out of their way quickly, Ketlin looked a bit more in confusion, if not a bit relief, before putting it together. "…Shin's Sora's papa…got it…"

Zienna snarled as she and Shin cracked their knuckles. "Enough of this useless banter… deal with it. NOW!"

Shin immediately rushed forward, smashing his fist into Tauros' side, then leaping toward Weavile and kicking it to the face, before kicking off and smashing a powerful burst of Psychic energy into the Scizor's chest.

All three Pokémon were KO'ed before they hit the ground.

Seeing that, Kamen Trainer gave a small sigh, having her Pignite turn his attention elsewhere. "Least they won't cause anymore issues…"

"Violent as ever, aren't you? DAH!" Vent yowled as that earned him a whack to the head.

"She had to be a bit with these poor Pokémon…"

"Wha…?"

But before Ketlin could say anything about it, the three Pokémon glowed bright red as they were returned to their Pokéballs from wherever their Trainer was at. And then there was the sound of an engine starting and a burst of light shot off through the air.

"Hey! He's getting away!" Vent cried out, rushing to his Charizard.

"Vent! We don't have the time for that!" Zienna shouted out.

"NO!" Ketlin shouted, Natsu quickly sending waves of ember from his mouth for the light, to no avail as she growled smashing her fist to the ground angrily. "Dammit!"

"Mew!" came a familiar call, before a small burst of pink rushed past them and into the chasm.

Growling, Ketlin managed to calm herself, hurrying over to the chasm with Natsu, the Pignite lighting his fists to give a little hand to see down. "Kamiyu? Is everyone alright down there?"

Vent and Zienna walked over as well and glanced down into the chasm, even as Vent recalled his Charizard. They waited for a few moments, before Shin lightly kicked off and his body shone blue for a moment, easily lifting up the three Trainers and Natsu, before descending down the chasm.

Squinting as they descended, the girl blinked a bit, spotting her and Hiiro's Pokémon working along some rocks. "Eh…Ah! Guys are they okay?"

Looking up, the Absol gave a few barks, trying to shove along a rock covering the three fallen children with a growl. "Absol!"

Houndoom didn't even look up, hooking his horns under a few rocks and proceeding to pry them away from the stack. Quagsire was equally busy, picking up rocks and setting them aside, carefully picking apart the pile. Myra was busy as well, moving some rocks away carefully. Rearing his head back, Kamiyu rammed at a stone to push it aside, shaking off the daze from his head before using his paws to dig away at the smaller bits of stone within the pile.

"…Shin," Zienna said simply.

The Psychic Pokémon nodded and brought up one hand. Slowly numerous rocks started to float aside, even as Zienna and Vent moved forward to help get the rocks out of their way.

Quickly going by her dark type, Ketlin grabbed and pulled along some rocks, managing to pry the stones away with Kamiyu's help. "Dammit…"

Finally, they managed to remove most of the rocks, revealing the three kids. Hiiro groaned and slowly looked up from where he was posed over the girls, preventing the rocks from crushing them. "Took… your time, huh?" he choked out, coughing from the amount of dust in the air.

"Y-yeah" Ketlin chuckled, rubbing her face a bit as she grinned. "Little…choice with jerks like those, ya know?"

Zienna allowed a relieved sigh as Vent helped the boy out, before she started pulling the girls out, holding them close to her. "… Thanks, kiddo," she said sincerely, giving a nod to the boy. "For keeping these girls safe."

"Y-yeah… no problem…" Hiiro groaned out, rubbing his back. "Ow… okay, maybe a small problem… my back hurts now…"

Blinking a little, the masked girl began to prod a bit along the small of the boy's back a little.

"Gah!" Hiiro yelped in response. "Ow ow ow ow!"

Chuckling a little, Ketlin gave a bit more careful rub as she said "It feels, so it'll be alright with rest I think."

"Ugh… I hope so…" Hiiro murmured.

Zienna allowed a small smile. "Shin, get us out of here."

'Yes, of course.'

"I'll paw ya latter that'll help," she chuckled, watching as the Psychic type began to levitate the group again as her thoughts became a bit more worried. "…shadows…"

* * *

"WHAT IN THA NINE HELLS DID CHA TWO THINK CHA WERE DOING I SAID TO STAY IN THA HOUSE DAMMIT!" came the voice, or rather the roar of the elder Shonen, passerby's could swear that the house of the Gym Leader's brother shook right through its foundation at the father's shout. "AND HELL CHA TWO DID GET HURT IN THA PROSSESS!"

"Hey, at least we found Amalia and Haru, didn't we?" Hiiro hissed out.

Giving the boy a look of warning, the silverhead pointed to him and his own daughter snarling "Yeah, an cha nearly got smashed by rocks, and Ketlin and her team …"

"We were scared for them!" Ketlin blurted, clenching her fists tightly as she sat on the couch looking to the floor. "I had to look for them…their nakama…"

Hiiro hissed as he looked up from where he lay face down on the couch. "What's a nakama?" he questioned.

The silverhead didn't respond, crossing his arms after a few moments as he seemed to calm down "And then cha made me worry…"

Not bothering to answer a bit herself, Ketlin pulled out a small ziplock bag from her pack, as Hiiro looked, he could see a slightly smushed paste mixed in with bits of a tamato berry in it as she began to spread some of it on her hand. "You, Ami and Haru's are nakama. Shirt off, Hiiry."

"Oh… so it's another word for Trainer?" Hiiro asked softly, pushing up a little, hissing at the pain in his back as he struggled a little with his shirt and jacket.

Oswald sighed softly and walked forward to help the boy.

"Ah… thanks, Oswald…"

"…Don't mention it…"

"No, it's a treasure not a trainer" the girl said simply, watching as the boy finally had his tops off, before quickly having him flop on his belly on the couch as she sat on his rump, starting to 'paw' at his back with her hands, not unlike the kneeding of a small cat pokemon

"Tre-gah… what do you mean?" the boy got out.

Sighing, TJ looked over, still a bit upset with the two children as he muttered "Its a mixed word, can translate to comrad, friend or family"

"Oh…"

"Like I said," Ketlin muttered. "Treasure."

Zero sighed heavily as he rubbed his temples. "Well… either way, the girls are back, so that's one problem taken care of, at least…"

Hearing that, Ketlin's 'pawing' began to get a little rough, to the point she was unintentionally scratching Hiiro's back as her focus began to drift.

"Ow!" Hiiro yelped out after one particular rough scratch.

"! Sorry!" Ketlin quickly muttered, rubbing the boy's back a little at the scratch with the back of her wrist. "…Papa…Cero…"

"Hm?" Zero hummed, looking over.

Looking up, being a bit more careful as she rubbed at Hiiro's back, Ketlin muttered. "Shadow Pokémon…could use a tackle like attack on a ghost type…and it would hit…and hurt a lot right?…"

"The first types could only do one or two moves that were like that, yes," Zero said simply. "Later versions got more variable moves. …Why?"

"Why tha sudden change of…"

Before her father could finish, Ketlin's face scrunched up, "Aether's…their Pokémon…where Shadow Pokémon…"

"…WHAT?"

"Say wha?" Hiiro choked out.

Looking pale, the girl's father narrowed his eyes to Ketlin questioningly "Kitten, this isn a joke matter…are cha absolutely sure…"

Ketlin went quiet for a few moments, shutting her eyes as her hand went to her stomach, which was nearly all black from the bruise before she nodded. "Yes…I tried to read their spirits…nothing…no emotion…and that tackle the Tauros gave Toku…it was more powerful than any type of tackle I've shared…and it 'hit' Toku…"

"…Shit," Zero hissed out.

"…this is bad…" Oswald mumbled.

Ketlin began to grit her teeth, leaning down a little holding herself up on her knuckles alongside Hiiro's hips. "Dammit…I let that…I let that bastard take them again!"

Looking over, TJ walked over with a sigh, rubbing his daughter's back. "Cha had other matters ta deal with Ketlin…cha wouldn't have done much anyway even if cha could pin them down…they would have hurt themselves tryen to escape on their own…"

"Without the gauntlet, there's no way to get them back…" Zero grumbled, before rubbing his temples. "I'm starting to think those losers from the Lunar Corps sold their research material to someone before Chibiki and Nero brought them down…"

The silverhead growled at that, starting to walk around the room a little absently, as he thought, obviously of nothing good if his face showed anything of it. "…"

Shaking her own head, Ketlin turned back to 'pawing' Hiiro's back, her eyes giving off a fiery determination. "I'll still…wait what the heck's Lunar coops?""

"You don't wanna know," Zero said simply, rubbing the dust from his eyes.

Giving a mewling growl, the girl continued to work on the boy's back beneath her. "Fine…either way…I'm kicking Aether's butts now, for what they did to Ami and Haru's, and for what they're doing to the Pokémon…"

Hiiro sighed a little, resting his chin on his arms, seemingly lost in thought.

"Ket, it might be better to stay away an leave this matter to tha adults an tha authorities," TJ said simply

Frowning at that, the girl began to alternate along Hiiro's back grumbling something, before speaking a bit up more. "You better get healed up tomorrow, Hiiry."

"Hm?" Hiiro murmured, looking over his shoulder to Ketlin.

"We're going in the forest to get serious training on, of course, sides I need a stand in for Deva."

"…I was actually planning to head into the park to train."

"You can visit it on the way back," the girl said as a matter of fact, almost as if the choice was made (which for her, it was).

Zero merely chuckled, before looking up to the backdoor. "Oh, hey, ladies."

"Hiirooo's!" came a familiar call as the small, blue haired girl hurried in with her Dratini coiled around her shoulders. "Are you okays? Mommy said you got hurt falling down trying to save us and-and-" she chattered, looking about ready to cry.

"Haru, calm down," Zienna said solemnly as she walked in as well, with Amalia hurrying after, too, Vent following shortly behind.

"Aw hes fine, you two broke his fall anyway," Ketlin grinned out, rubbing away at the boy's back. "Just a little bang to his back is all looks it."

"But-but-!"

"Haru, 's okay!" Amalia quipped, stepping up behind her sister and giving the smaller girl a hug from behind, before smiling at Hiiro and Ketlin. "Arigato for saving us!"

Hiiro allowed a smile. "Hey, don't sweat it. Was nothing," he chuckled.

"…yea, I mean…" Ketlin began, muttering a moment before speaking up again. "It was your aunty an cousin that did the bigger stuff."

"Ah shuddap," came another voice from the doorway, where Nitira was standing, leaning against the doorpost.

"What don't like good publicity?" Ketlin muttered in response.

The purple haired Gym Leader said nothing in response. Zienna shook her head silently, before turning to the two Trainers. "Either way, we owe you our thanks for getting these girls home safe."

Angie mewled happily, smiling from where she was curled around Haru's shoulders.

"I'd feel better if we saved those Shadow Pokémon…" Ketlin snarled, quickly adding "And kicked that Aether guy's face through a boulder…"

"Unfortunately, you can't save everyone you meet," Vent said solemnly. "That's close to impossible."

"Would be nice, either way…" Zero grumbled.

"I know that, but if you save one life, that life saves another, then…"

Zienna merely shook her head. "Either way, there's not much we have to repay you for what you did today…"

Blinking up to that, the girl looked over to Zienna as if she sprouted two heads. "Huh…"

Hiiro hummed in thought, before he pushed up a little. "Well, I have an idea for something."

"Oh?"

"Eh, what are you two talking about?" Ketlin blinked out, muttering quickly "We got our treasure what else we need?"

"Well… I was wondering, if it would be possible for us to take on both of you at the same time."

"Excuse me?/Oh like hell we will…" Zienna and Nitira said at the same time.

"I know you two are scared we'd beat you even worse together but…" Ketlin smirked out a little, apparently liking the idea of teaming with the boy again for their next badge.

"Hey, c'mon you two, humor 'em will ya?" Zero laughed. "Besides, 's not like you'd get in each other's way much, right?"

Zienna looked over to Zero in slight surprise, cocking one eyebrow at him, before moving her head to look at her twin. The other Gym Leader was silent for a long moment, seeming to think about it for a moment.

"…bah. Whatever… just don't expect this ta be become a habit, Aibou."

"Wasn't expecting it to be.

"What the heck is Aibou anyways you keep callen her that" Ketlin butted in quickly

"…It's what we've called each other during the war," Zienna offered simply.

"Oh, meh I like nakama better," Ketlin shrugged out simply, looking the two over. "Though Hiiry an me need a day training first with all those stupid Aether guys in our way today."

"That's fine. You two just be ready by then. We're not holding back just because of what happened today," Zienna said simply.

"Will do. Thank you."

"Can we watch, Mommy?" Haru asked, pouting.

"…Just this once."

"Yay!"

"Cha might wanna take out Kamina for tha fight if cha wanna go full out, kitten," TJ called over to his daughter a bit concerned.

"Rather not…" the girl frowned out crossing her arms stubbornly

Hiiro merely smiled, shaking his head a little as Amalia walked over. "You just rest up, kay?" Ami chirped, before she gave Hiiro a quick, careful hug before hurrying back to her mother's side.

Blinking to that, the girl sitting on Hiiro's backside grumbled a little frowning. "Hey…"

Hiiro blinked, looking back to the girl. "What?"

"Why didn't I get a hug…"

Unable to keep a straight face from that, TJ chuckled a little as he scratched his head. "Jealous kitten…"

No sooner had he said that, or Angie slithered up the couch and around Ketlin's shoulders, coiling around her in a makeshift hug with a happy mewl. Giggling, the girl reached up, patting the small serpentine dragon's head as she smiled. "Okay that's better, paw time!" she called out, quickly back to 'pawing' Hiiro's back with vigor

Hiiro allowed a small laugh, before he laid back down on the couch.

* * *

That evening, Zero remained awake for several hours after everyone else had gone to bed, simply staring out of the window. The blonde was lost in thought for a long while, before he stood up solemnly and walked over to the phone, typing in a number he knew by heart.

After a moment, someone on the other end picked up, despite the hour.

"_Don't you have anything better to do at 2 AM, Zero?_" The voice said by way of greeting, "_You know, like sleeping?_"

"Figured you'd be still be up at this hour," Zero chuckled out.

"_Uh huh, sure._" The person said. He quickly dropped the feigned annoyance, his voice turning all business. "_It must be important if you're calling this late. What's up?_"

"_Well, you remember the Lunar Corps I mentioned a few years back? The guys with that 'Dream/World Conquest' project?_"

"_Of course I do. Incidents involving Darkrai aren't exactly common…_" After a moment, he asked "_Why?_"

Zero took a deep breath before speaking again. "Apparently they sold some of their Shadow Pokémon research data to another party."

The moment of stunned silence was deafening, before the voice asked "_You're sure of this?_"

"You ever heard of a normal Tauros hitting a Ghost type and doing double damage to it?"

Heaving a sigh, the person responded with another question. "_So who has the Shadow Tauros?_"

"Aether does. You heard of 'em, right?"

"_Yeah._" The voice said derisively, his contempt evident "_We've met._"

"Good… stay on your toes around them from now on… And tell your kid to do the same. Chances are they might have Wes's gauntlet, too."

"_Damn… this IS serious…_" the man growled, before stating "_I'll call Seph once the sun's up. He'll be ready for them._"

"Arrite. Watch your back, man."

"_Will do. Let me know if you find anything else out, and tell Z I say hi._"

"Roger. I'll catch ya later," Zero said simply, before both hung up the phone. "…" Zero turned to the window silently, thinking once more. "…if they sold that as well… we'll be in big trouble… bigger than usual…"


	17. Chapter 16 Zienna & Nitira of Crystal

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 16: Zienna & Nitira of Crystal**

* * *

The two Trainers took a little longer with their training, since Hiiro's back took a little longer than expected to heal up entirely. However, three days after the incident on the mountain side with Team Aether, they both made their way to Zienna's Gym, which both Gym Leaders agreed was better suited for a Double Battle.

Pulling on her jacket, the masked Ketlin, 'Kamen Trainer', glanced over to the boy, almost in a serious though focused voice "This is when things heat up, you fired up for it, Challenger?"

"Y-yeah… I'm ready…" Hiiro managed to get out, briefly holding a hand to his heart.

She blinked a bit, reaching a hand out to pat at Hiiro's back along his shoulder blades greeting point. "You kay?"

"Y-yeah… just… a bit nervous, I suppose…" Hiiro mumbled, lightly patting his chest. "I'll be okay."

Nodding, Ketlin gave Hiiro's back a few more pats as they got to the 'starting point' for Zienna's gym she grinned "flying time then"

"Right," Hiiro said as they both climbed on a Pidgeot, before they took off for the Gym.

* * *

"Well, we're here…

"We woulda been here if you weren't so …wiggly on the ride," Ketlin grumbled, quickly coughing to get her 'game face' on, patting the boys shoulder as she began to walk through the doors once more "Oh, don't look down

"Huh?" Hiiro glanced down and blinked. "…Deep," he said simply.

"Hurry up, you never walked on air before?" The girl grinned out, looking ahead as she took her usual stance, pointing to the sky as she called out "LEADERS OF CRYSTAL ISLAND, WE'RE HERE TO CHALLENGE YOU FOR YOUR BADGES!"

Silently, both Gym Leaders looked up from where they had been waiting, Zienna leaning against an invisible air, and Nitira sitting cross-legged on the floor, her hands on her knees.

"Ya dun have to shout…" Nitira grumbled simply.

"For someone who doesn't like her sister much you sure do end up saying the same things…"

Zienna stood up straight, lightly rotating her shoulders. "Well… are you ready, then?"

Smirking in full confidence, the girl quickly stretched out her legs, getting ready to release her Pokémon with her usual roundhouse kick. "You need to ask?"

"Fine then…" Zienna said as Nitira climbed back to her feet as well. "Kari!"

"Ka'Ray!"

In an instant, the two Eeveelutions walked forward silently, staring the challengers down.

Giving a nod to Hiiro, the girl kicked out, sending her first Pokéball flying. "Show time, Toku!"

Hiiro returned the nod and pulled out his own Pokéball after spinning his cap around. "Right, let's do this!" he called out, sending out his own first choice.

As Ponyta materialized, she shook his neck and whinnied loudly, rearing back on his hindlegs before coming back down.

Appearing besides the Fire type, doing several strikes into the air, a glance past the Golett showing him and his Trainer in full synchronization again, Toku gave a battle cry himself, staring down at the Eeveelutions in front of them. "Gol-ett!"

Hiiro was silent for a little while, before glancing to the side, where he could see the two girls watching the fight. TJ and Vent were there as well, which he had expected, a little. Shaking it off, he turned back to the situation at hand.

Zienna and Nitira remained silent, before they moved their hands briefly and their Pokémon leapt into action.

Ka'Ray rushed in towards Toku, while Kari focused her attention on Ponyta, eyes alight as she used Psychic on the Fire type.

Ponyta saw it coming, though, and rushed to the side to avoid it, rushing toward the Espeon from the side.

Smashing his feet down as the Dark type's Faint Attack landed, Toku swung on through with all his might pushed into both arms for a dual Mega Punch into Ka'Ray's shoulders as he growled out from the pain to the impact.

Coughing out herself, Ketlin grit her teeth a bit licking her lips as she and her ghost/ground type got back into stance readying for the Umbreon's next attack. "Okay that hurt"

"Ah, be careful of Ka'Ray… his Bite… REALLY hurts…" Hiiro whispered.

"So, gah so does Kari's psychic attacks watch yourself too, Hiiry."

Kari yelped when Ponyta smashed into her from the side, before frowning and launching a powerful Psychic attack at him. Ponyta neighed as he was suddenly suspended in midair, unable to move.

"Oh shit…!"

Ka'Ray howled in pain, before snarling at Toku, baring its fangs. And then it rushed forward chomped down on the Ghost/Ground with the same force as it had bitten down on Eevee.

"NARGH!"/"LETT!" the synchronized trainer and Pokémon howled, stumbling back as the pair glared to the Dark type, thankfully though, Golett's artificial body was in no danger of bleeding from the attack…Ketlin's arm however was a different matter.

Blinking out in a mix of surprise an horror, the silverhead growled out along the sidelines, clenching his fists tightly in his lap. "Such excessive…"

Ami reached out and tugged on TJ's sleeve and motioned for him to come down to whisper in his ear. "Aunt Nitira was part of the front lines during the war, so her Pokémon are a little more mean than others."

"I know I know…"

Gritting her teeth as she and Toku clenched their fists, the ghost/ground type snagging Ka'Ray's ear with his freed hand in the process, the pair gave a quick jerk, Toku leaping in the air and rolling as he held onto the dark type as he sped for Kari

Kari let out a howl when Toku and Ka'Ray smashed into her, making her lose her concentration on keeping Ponyta in the air. And in the next instant, Ponyta landed and fired a burst of fire at the two Eeveelutions.

Uncoiling from the roll, the Golett skid his feet along the ground, quickly snatching the psychic types forked tail, swinging around as the Ponyta's attack came in reach holding the Eeveelutions up in front of himself in the process. "Gol!"

The two Pokémon howled in pain at that, obviously on the verge of collapse already. But before they could finish the pair of, Kari's eyes flared pure purple and sent the Flamethrower attack away.

Ka'Ray snarled in fury, spinning its body around and managing to somehow chomp down on the Golett's leg.

"Nrgh!" Ketlin hissed out again, tumbling as her leg spasmed under her, coating a bright shade of crimson as she snarled, rearing her arm back

Looking down a bit shaken at the attack, Toku lashed out with his fist for the Umbreon's head, but before impact, a pack of shadows 'swallowed' the Golett's fist, materializing a hand of darkness that crashed instead into the bridge of Kari's nose. "LETT!"

"Esssp!" Kari yowled, just as Ponyta rushed forward and smashed into Ka'Ray, sending the Dark type rolling as well. "UM!"

Hissing as she pushed herself up again to straighten out, Kamen Trainer's arm and leg where she (or rather, her Ghost/Ground type) was bitten shaking a bit roughly the girl hissed out looking over to Nitira. "You put that Umbre's teeth through a pencil sharpener or something?"

Nitira said nothing in response, even as she and Zienna brought up their Pokéballs at the same time to recall the two Eeveelutions.

"Taiyo!/Fso'Yu!"

At that call, Zienna's Solrock and Nitira's Houndoom floated and stepped into the field respectively.

"Right… round two…" Hiiro murmured.

Clenching her teeth into a grin, Kamen Trainer brought up her arms readying herself and her Pokémon for the pair of opponents, though both sets of damaged limbs looking less in shape for it then their gazes tried to play. "Good, get to see how sharp this one's jaws are."

"I tried not to get my Pokémon bit by him, so I'm not sure… but I can guess just as sharp…" Hiiro mumbled, glancing between the two Pokémon. 'Either way… my best chance is against Fso'Yu right now.'

"Ponyta, go for the Houndoom!"

Ponyta neighed in confirmation, lightly kicking at the ground before rushing for the Houndoom. However, Fso'Yu rushed forward at the exact same time.

Taiyo, in the meantime, hovered for a moment longer, before its eyes flashed and a mass of rocks materialized in the air, sailing straight at Toku.

Quickly tucking into a spin, Toku began to bulrush his way right through the rockslide, bounding around between the rocks as he ricocheted right for the sun shaped rock Pokémon. Taiyo didn't make a sound as he was hit, merely flew back because of it and spun to a stop. For a moment, it didn't move agair, but then the spikes coming from its side lit up.

In the meantime, Ponyta and Fso'Yu were going head-to-head, quite literally, smashing into each other with Quick Attack and Faint Attack respectively, neither gaining any real grond, before the Houndoom suddenly launched a Fire Blast at the other Fire type.

"Agility!" Hiiro called out, making Ponyta kick off from the ground and rush at Houndoom from behind, smashing into the other Pokémon before he could spin around.

Rearing his arms up, the Golett managed to brace itself as the flames materialized around him, eyes following the spinning as the flames dance across his blue stoned body, from the shake his limbs were going, the dual type was on that last leg of his. "G-gol-ett…"

"Just…a bit…" Ketlin hissed, before her eyes narrowed behind her mask, quickly jabbing a punch forward, Toku matching instantly as the Mega Punch smashed into the spikes along Taiyo's body, diverting the Psychic/Rock type away for the Dark/Fire type. Though as he spun away, the girl and her Pokémon blinked a bit in surprise. "Eh, that felt…weird…"

Taiyo managed to stop in midair before hitting Fso'Yu, though, and the hound skid to a stop from the last hit. Fso'Yu snarled angrily, while Taiyo hovered, flames still spiraling around its spikes - before hitting the ground and starting to spin about rapidly… around Fso'Yu.

"What is it doing!" Hiiro choked out.

"Flash Fire…" Ketlin hissed out, her and Toku getting ready for the upcoming attacks "Their raising Fso'Yu's element power by feeding his flames"

The moment she said that, a massive burst of Fire rushed at Toku from the midst of the Fire Spin, a second one following that was aimed at Ponyta.

"Oh boy! Ponyta, run!"

Quickly looking to the fire type, Golett jabbed his fists through the shadows, knocking the horse like Pokémon's footing to knock it down and out of the line of fire, while taking the full attack aimed for himself to the back. "GOOOOOL!"

"NAAAAAH!" Ketlin hollered out, stumbling on her knees as she grabbed her back, Toku skidding along the ground aflame and unconscious, almost stopping right in front of the Trainers.

"Kamen!" Hiiro cried out, moving to her side. "Are you alright?"

"Nrgh…his fire's worse than his bite."

No sooner had she said that, or Fso'Yu rushed forward from the flames and smashed headlong into Ponyta, sending the horse flying backward with a pained whinny. He landed on his side only a few feet away from the two Trainers, shaking in pain.

"Damn…" Hiiro hissed, pulling out his Pokéball, recalling his Pokémon.

Pushing herself up, panting as she did so, Kamen trainer did the same, gritting her teeth as she looked down to the Pokéball within her hand. "Good job, Toku"

"Urgh… saw that coming…" Hiiro mumbled, resisting the urge to reach to his chest with his hand, though the twitch to do so was there.

* * *

Seeing the kid's twitching like they were, the silverhead crossed his arms along the sidelines, clipping his heel along the floor obviously getting close to worried, mindless as he grit his teeth silently. "…"

"TJ-san?" Ami asked curiously.

"…hm?" TJ blinked, looking over. "Wha?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah…yeah don worry bout it…"

* * *

Shaking her head to clear it, the masked girl nodded to Hiiro. "Not gonna chicken out from this yet right?"

"You kidding? I know exactly who I'm getting out…" Hiiro said as he pulled out his next Pokéball.

"That case, 'ladies first'," the girl grinned out teasingly, nodding for the boy to go ahead as she readied her next roundhouse kick.

"Very funny," Hiiro mumbled, before tossing out his Pokéball.

"Quuaaaag," the Water/Ground type called out as she materialized.

After the girls next kick, the Pokémon materialized besides the Water/Ground type, rearing her arms back with a snarl looking to the Solrock. "Cacturne!"

"Right… let's get started then!" Hiiro murmured, before whispering something to Ketlin.

Giving a glance in a form to confirm she heard, the masked girl flexed out her arm, Thorn mimicking the motions perfectly as the pair smiled. "Let's rock"

"Cac-turne!" the dark/grass type smirked, rushing forward for the Gym Leaders' Pokémon, more accurate, the Houndoom.

Fso'Yu glared at the Grass/Dark type, snarling viciously, before releasing another Fire Blast right at Thorn the moment she came in range.

Quagsire in the meantime, released a powerful stream of water from her mouth, which missed Taiyo by a hair, as the Pokémon hovered aside quite easily.

Smashing her arms down, Thorn created another tower of needles, using it to rebound off of in time as the Fire Blast blew it apart. "Cacturne!" she growled out, smashing her fist again into the remains, sending the flickering remains of her needles flying for the fire combo type

Fso'Yu glared and kicked off from the ground, just in time to avoid the rain of needles, before leaping up and smashing headfirst into the Grass type in midair.

Quagsire watched Taiyo for a moment, before looking back to Hiiro. The boy made a small spinning motion with his finger, and instantly, she curled up and rolled forward in a speeding Rollout, bouncing off from the ground to strike the Solrock dead on.

* * *

"Wow!" Haru called out. "Hiiros is using hand motions now toos!"

"I guess he's learning from what he sees, then…" Vent murmured.

"There's some defects to tha though…" TJ muttered with a nod. "Z an her sis trained their Pokémon, they can recognize it with little looks or tha sounds their fingers or feet make. But Hiiro's team an him wouldn't have had enough time for it, so they need better view ta get them though for now."

"It's a start, though…" Ami quipped.

"True but usen it against experts right now…"

* * *

"CAC!" Thorn growled out, but quickly managed to wrap her arms around the Houndoom's head. Or more accurately, hooking her thorny arms under the Dark/Fire type's horns and tug on it, effectively pinning Fso'Yu's scalp to her chest. "Turne!"

Fso'Yu yowled in surprise, before snarling as fire began to gather between his jaws again.

"QUAQSIRE! NOW!" Hiiro shouted.

And in an instant, the Water/Ground Pokémon unfurled, took a deep breath, and released so much water from her mouth, that it took only a few seconds for it to cover the entire battle field.

Seeing the upcoming Surf attack, Thorn tightened her grip with one arm, quickly bringing the other back as the quills along it glowed sickly purple as she struck, using the force of the wave as they were struck to add to the blow to Fso'Yu's head. "CAC-TURRRNE!"

Fso'Yu yowled in agony when the hit collided, and Taiyo was sent flying through the air to smash into the ground some distance away.

"Whew… I think that-uh-oh!" Hiiro mumbled, noticing that Taiyo had begun flashing rapidly. "Not good…! Quagsire! Water Gun! Full power!"

Quagsire didn't waste any time and let loose a powerful spray of water, slamming into the Solrock and sending it flying backwards to skid across the ground, its flashing ceasing and no longer moving.

"Rrrwrruu," Kamen trainer hissed out, shaking her body like a wet cat or dog Pokémon, Thorn doing the same, shaking off the droplets from her back as the girl growled. "Really hate the ghosty feeling of being wet…its…weird."

"Sorry," Hiiro chuckled. "Did warn you."

"I know…least Thorn liked it"

Smirking along the battlefield, the Dark/Grass type snickered up to her Trainer, rubbing her 'cap' like she was enjoying a shower singing out "Caaac-tuuurrne."

Zienna and Nitira silently recalled their Pokémon, and actually shared a look with each other for a moment. However, finally, they smirked in perfect mirror image of each other, before looking back to the duo of challengers.

"Well then…" the twin said, both at the same time and at the exact same tone. "Let's kick this fight up a notch. SHIN!/RAYNIE!"

"Wait-she's not using… oh crap…!" Hiiro hissed out as the two Mewtwo descended into the ring, each one smirking as badly as their respective Trainers (not that there was much difference between the two.

* * *

"Uh-oh…" Ami murmured.

"Ooooh! Big kitties!" Haru chirped happily, with Angie mewling brightly.

"Seems they're getting serious now…" Vent said softly.

"Big tough kitties…" TJ muttered, tightening his grip on his arm nervously. But gave a sudden curious blink, looking around as though expecting someone

* * *

Ketlin and Thorn however, were not fazed by the two legendary Psychic types. More accurately, they both grinned broadly at Shin and Raynie's appearance. "No holding back, good."

"Synchronize!" Zienna and Nitira called out, smashing their fists into their palms, with Shin and Raynie doing the same as their eyes flashed briefly.

"This is so gonna suck…" Hiiro murmured, his breathing becoming slightly heavier at the mere thought of having to deal with two of what had to be the strongest Psychic Pokémon known to man.

"Don't chicken out on me, Challenger. This is when the fun happens!"

* * *

Vent frowned a little. "…Something is wrong with him…" he murmured softly, unheard by the two girls as they watched with wide eyes.

"…Yeah, I know" the silverhead whispered back, keeping his attention to the two challengers "too much stress…try an calm again…"

* * *

Hiiro gulped down whatever was blocking his throat, taking a deep breath and letting it out as a sigh in an attempt to slow his breathing, before he frowned again. "Right… sorry 'bout that… let's do this!"

Ketlin blinked behind her mask, but nodded, flexing her (and in turn Thorn's) arms to ready for the final round of the Gym Challenge. "Bring it!"

Smirking as one, the two Mewtwo shot forward, with Shin rushing for Cacturne and Raynie going for Quagsire.

"Duck!"

Quagsire barely blinked and ducked (though it was more of a belly-flop) to the ground, barely avoiding the punch aimed for her face.

Dashing forward into the duck herself, Thorn went right up to Shin, the punch arching just around her head before diving down fully, swinging her arms back as the psychic type flew over, just as the dark/grass type sent a wave of pin missiles from the back of her arms behind her

However, the two Mewtwo smashed their palms into the ground and pushed off, spinning sideways through the air to land in a crouch on the ground, one arm suspended in midair and tails swaying behind them casually. Their movements were fluent and in perfect mirror image, as though they were sharing the same thoughts.

* * *

"You know… I once heard an interesting theory…" Vent mumbled suddenly.

Blinking a little, the other father glanced over, giving a 'hm' to let Vent know he had his attention for the moment.

"Twins that are born from a single egg tend to look alike to such a degree that they often consider each other as mirror images of each other, and often they'd both want the same things as they grow up," Vent continued, not diverting his eyes from the fight as the battle continued. "However, if such twins were separated at birth, what would happen to such wishes?"

"Hmm…they become…different?"

"…They still end up getting the same stuff," Vent said simply. "They'd get the same watch, same type of clothes, same hairstyles, they'd even name their Pokémon identically if they were to catch the same breed, even if they were separated by several miles of ocean."

TJ nodded, looking over, grumbling something as he watched the challenging Trainers Pokémon avoid the next bout of attacks. "Guess tha kinda shows here…"

Vent nodded silently. "…Do you know the theory behind why something like that happens?"

"Can't say I do."

"Because twins like Zienna and Nitira are born from only a single 'seed'… it's believed that each one only has half a soul. Each of them carries only half of the complete soul with them."

"So each seek tha same thing cause as a whole they seek it."

"Bingo."

* * *

Raynie spun out of the way of another burst of water, and fired a blast of Psychic energy at Quagsire. The Water/Ground type yowled as she was sent rolling back into Hiiro.

"Gah! Quagsire! Are you alright?" the boy asked worriedly.

"Quaaaag…"

Shin jumped over Thorn's attack, then delivered a drop-kick to the Grass/Dark type's head, sending her skidding towards Ketlin, too.

"Nrgh!" Ketlin hissed, dropping down almost completely on top of her Pokémon as she stopped in front of her. "Th-Thorn?"

"C-cac…tuurne…"

"I think they've had it, Kamen…" Hiiro said softly, pulling out his Pokéball. "Don't worry, girl. You did great. Just rest for now, kay?" he said as he recalled his Pokémon.

Giving her head a rub with one hand, her free one rubbing the spot for her unconscious Cacturne before she recalled her. Getting to her feet once her mind stopped spinning from the kick, the masked girl got ready before roundhousing her last Pokéball out to the field. "Let's make sure they didn't get beat without some more fight then!"

"Right!" Hiiro murmured, pulling out his own Pokéball and tossing it forward.

Houndoom snarled when he materialized, before letting out a howl and glaring up at the two Psychic types.

Forming from the beam along the back of Hiiro's Houndoom, Natsu snarled out a whiff of Ember from his nostrils, him and Ketlin posing as they growled out a 'bring it'.

Looking to the boy beside her, Ketlin muttered out quickly "Listen…there's a fifty-fifty that your Houndoom has Flash Fire, too."

"Ah. Okay… worth a shot, I suppose…" Hiiro murmured.

Shin and Raynie merely smirked, falling into position again as their Trainers did the exact same thing, seemingly sizing them up for a few moments. And then they moved forward in a blur of motion.

Houndoom growled, and kicked off from the ground to avoid Shin's punch, while unleashing a flamethrower in Raynie's face, making the other Mewtwo back off before it could hit him.

Kicking off from Houndoom's back as he leapt up, the Pignite managed to land along Shin's tail, rearing back as he breathed deeply, quickly letting a blast of ember fly for the psychic type "NITE!"

Shin actually yelped for a moment, then let out a screech when the blast hit, and Zienna cried out as though the hit had struck her as well, before she gritted her teeth and swung her arm back. This caused Shin to spin around and slam his arm into Natsu's side.

Houndoom spun out of the way of another punch and let loose a powerful Fire Blast, causing Raynie to yip and duck under the attack - which resulted in getting her smashed in by the Dark/Fire type rushing into her head. Nitira yowled in pain and covered her forehead in pain, before she snarled in rage and slammed her palm forward, making Raynie's hand release a burst of energy that sent Houndoom skidding.

"BARK!"

"NITE!" Natsu yowled, Ketlin having to hiss her own down a few notches as he went flying, gritting his teeth, he sent another wave of ember out, but from the tumbling Shin sent him through, the Pignite's flame sparks flying all over the place

"Urgh… this is… getting intense…" Hiiro managed to get out, his breathing picking up again, but this time he couldn't keep his breathing under control.

"Eh? Hey you alright?" Ketlin blinked out, patting the boy's back quickly, Natsu blinking in surprise as he landed a bit roughly from the sudden 'disconnection' to his Trainer.

"I'll… I'll be fine… you just focus on your side of the fight…" Hiiro got out with a small nod to the other Trainer.

"Kinda hard to do when you suddenly can't breathe right next to me, ya know."

"I'm FINE, dammit! Just pay attention!" Hiiro shouted, just as Houndoom dashed forward and smashed into Shin before the Mewtwo could launch a Shadow Ball at Natsu.

"Guess if you can be grouchy enough to yell you're fine" the masked girl smirked, quickly getting into synch with her Pokémon again. Which did not go as well as one would hope, as Natsu's reconnecting to his Trainer suddenly caused the blast of Ember for Shin to get sprayed around again, hitting into the back of Houndoom in the process. "Erk not yet!"

The moment the flames hit Houndoom, though, they began to spiral around him rapidly, and the hound blinked in slight surprise, before grinning almost evilly. With a snarl, he dug his claws into the ground briefly, before making a mad-dash for Raynie and biting down on the Pokémon's arm - HARD.

Raynie screeched in pain, and Nitira howled out in agony, blood beginning to flow from her arm and hitting the ground beneath her. Snarling in rage, she swung out with her other arm. However, Houndoom dodged it and fired a blast of fire right at Raynie's chest.

The Mewtwo howled out in agony as she was launched backwards, skidding across the ground as her Trainer hissed out, her arms around her sides as though attempting to staunch quench some sort of pain.

The Pignite looked ready to fight, but blinked as his arms went limp along his sides, giving a curious mutter back to his Trainer as she was doing the same. "N-nite?"

"Do it again…do it again…can do it again…"

Frowning a little, the Pignite let out a sigh, letting his body go more limp along the spot watching the other Mewtwo almost lazily

Shin watched Raynie for a moment longer in genuine surprise, before glaring at Natsu, Psychic energy beginning to pulse around his arm. With an enraged screech, the Pokémon rushed forward.

When the raged psychic struck for the fire/fight type, a sudden orange/brown blur smashed in, diverting the attack and Shin away from Natsu. Who was blinking in surprise at his own palm, sparked a bit from the psychic energy, but outstretched in front of him. "N-nite?…Pignite pig!"

"It was…faster this time too," Ketlin muttered to herself, quickly dropping her arms, Natsu also letting his body relax instantly as he grinned lazily. 'When Toku relaxed his arm from the pain…our punch attacks were faster and stronger too'

* * *

Blinking in surprise at the sidelines, the silverhead slowly grew a smirk as he chuckled "Quickdraw slash…"

* * *

Shin yowled in pain, before snarling angrily, but just as he was about to hit again, Houndoom rushed forward and smashed headfirst into the Pokémon's gut. Zienna choked in pain as she covered her stomach, while Shin was catapulted across the ground, skidding to a halt next to Raynie.

"Alright! That'll do it!" Ketlin grinned out, pumping her fist through the air along with her Pignite.

However, the moment she said that, Hiiro stumbled forward - and collapsed onto the ground in a heap, unmoving.

"!" Barking in alarm, Houndoom dashed across the battlefield to his Trainer's side.

Quickly dropping down next to him, Ketlin turned Hiiro over, trying to get a look at him as she heard her father say something less than colorful as he rushed to their side. "Hiiry!"

Zienna and Nitira stared for a few moments, before they recalled the two fallen Psychic types and rushed over. Zienna immediately dropped down next to him and placed two fingers on his throat.

"…! K'so! His heart stopped!"

"Hiiros!" Haru cried out as she hurried over with Amalia and Vent.

"…! Vent! Keep Haru away!"

Vent blinked, but nodded and stopped Haru from getting any closer.

"Daddy!"

"No Haru… just let your mom handle this…"

"B-but… Hiiros…"

"Don worry we got it," TJ called back suddenly, skidding down on his knees next to the boy trying to get his daughter away "Go by Vent"

"N-no way papa I'm…"

"Go already! Don suppose cha or cha sis got an Electric type on chas?" TJ quickly said up to the twins.

"As a matter of fact… Amalia!" Zienna called out as she moved her hands under the boy's shirt to push it up to under his armpits.

"Rogereeny! Patricia!" Amalia called out, tossing forward a single Pokéball, from which emerged a very energetic (not to mention popular) Pokémon.

"Pika-CHU!"

"Patty, Hiiro needs a boost and he needs a boost now! GO!" Amalia cried out.

Quickly straightening out Hiiro's body, TJ gave a nod to the electric mouse "Kay clear!"

Patricia let out a small cry and hopped on top of Hiiro's chest, putting her head down over his heart, cheeks pressed onto his bare chest. "Piiiii…kaaaaaa…CHUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" the Pokémon cried out, releasing a powerful Thundershock on the boy's body, making him jolt upwards in response to the electricity, but not much else.

"One more!" Nitira shouted.

"Piiiiiiiiii…kaaaaaaaaaaaaa…CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

The second jolt did it as Hiiro choked and gasped for breath, his heart jumping back to life in an instant.

"This kid needs a doctor… Amalia, do you have Abbey with you, too?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Then Teleport to the hospital and get him treated! Now!"

"Roger!" Ami chirped, bringing out another Pokéball.

The Pokémon that popped out was small and brown, and looked much like a large, sleepy kitty; an Abra.

Frowning as she pulled her mask off, the young Shonen looked worriedly to the boy as the little Psychic type was called out. "…"

"Abbey have enough juice to pull me with?" TJ quickly asked over to the Pokémon's Trainer.

"I think so… if she's awake, darnit…ABBEY OKIRO!" Amalia shouted, making the small Pokémon jump. "Hospital, you, me, Hiiro and TJ-san. STAT!"

Abbey gave a small salute and focused briefly, before using Teleport to get everyone out.

Looking at the spot they were at, Ketlin frowned worriedly, before rushing over for the invisible bridge in a hurry

Before she could get far, Vent snagged her by her shoulder. "Hold your Rapidash, Ketlin," he said, before bringing up a single Pokéball. "There's a faster way to get there."

"Rgh, then hurry with it, come on!"

* * *

Upon arriving at the hospital on Drake's back, the group headed to the ER room, where Amalia and TJ were already waiting.

"Any news?" Zienna asked as they walked over.

"Fraid not" TJ sighed out, arms crossed as he looked to the floor as he leaned against the wall. "They're looken ta him but…"

Giving a growl, the girl began to try and make her way for the doors of the room, giving her usual determined expression as she did so. "Then I'll get answers."

However, Zienna's hair reached out and snagged up Ketlin around her waist, lifting her off of the ground without Zienna showing the least bit of effort. "You trying to get him killed, Ketlin?"

"Gah, bu-but…"

"Kitten, cha have ta sit out here an let tha docs do their work…it's all we can do right now," TJ muttered out a bit bitterly.

"If ya rush in there, now, there's a chance they'll mess up and accidentally kill 'im," Nitira pointed out.

"Mrrr…fine," the girl sighed, relenting though not liking it the least bit.

Satisfied with that, Zienna set Ketlin back on the ground and leaned back against the wall, Nitira moving over to sit against it silently.

Ketlin growled a bit, finding a seat for herself, crossing her arms and legs, tapping the fingers and tips of her boots rapidly as she did so looking to the floor. "…"

Haru toddled over and settled down beside her sister, looking pretty scared herself, which caused Ami to move over and hug the younger girl.

"Now we wait…" Vent murmured, leaning back against the wall, too.

"Hate waiting…"

Hearing that, the silverhead glanced over to his daughter, muttering quickly "Don fall asleep."

* * *

It was several long hours before the doctors emerged from the ER room.

Some of the nurses were wheeling out the hospital bed that Hiiro was on, as well. The boy was currently hooked up to an IV and had an oxygen mask covering his mouth and nose, but other than that, he almost looked like he was just asleep.

Blinking up at that, Ketlin wasted no time in hopping over instantly. "Hiiry, hey is he okay!"

The doctor looked to the girl and nodded. "Yes, he'll be fine. He just needs to rest for now and he will be back up soon."

Zienna frowned a little at those words, but she chose not to respond to them.

"…"

Coughing a little, TJ gave a nod to the kids, muttering as he looked down the hall. "How bout cha runts get us some sodas from tha machines then since everythen's okay now, kay? Maybe grab one for when this runt wakes up?"

Haru blinked before she smiled. "Okays!"

Amalia, however, seemed to know exactly why he said that, but she didn't say anything about it. "Okay! Ketlin, c'mon! Let's go!" she called out, starting to hurry off, grabbing Ketlin's hand on the way with Haru right behind her.

As she was dragged off though, the young Shonen shot the doctor a quick look herself, seemingly understanding the reason as well as she disappeared past the hall

Sighing with a shake of his head, the silverhead turned up to the doctor questioningly. "What's tha deal…"

After the nurses had left with Hiiro, the doctor sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. "It's true that he'll get better with some rest… but I'm afraid it won't stay like that." After taking a deep breath, he continued. "He has a weak heart, possibly since birth, and it's only been getting worse over time. The fact that he made it so far is astounding as is."

"Why's that?" Vent asked.

"Because most people with a condition like his die before they turn 16."

At those words, Zienna and Nitira tensed up, but they said nothing.

TJ gave the twins a small glance, before nodding back to the doctor with a sigh. "I see…so he'll be ready for discharge in a day or so?"

The doctor sighed again. He probably had to do that a lot in one day. "Unfortunately… no. I'm afraid that today's events put a real strain on his heart and if he keeps going like he is at this point, he could drop dead any day. And, sadly, if we can't give him a new heart within a few days, the chance is that he'll die anyway."

"…!" Vent choked briefly, but there was nothing he could say that would make the situation better at this point. The twins were equally silent, seemingly lost in thought, even though they were clearly hanging onto the doctor's words.

"…" TJ growled a bit, looking downward as his hands clenched tightly to his arms. "Right…thanks doc…"

"I'm sorry," the doctor said sincerely, before moving on to whatever new job he had.

After a bit as the doctor got out of earshot though. "…Shit…""

Zienna sighed harshly through her teeth, before she said: "I'll say…"

"…This is bad…" Vent mumbled softly.

Nitira was the only one not speaking, staring down at the ground solemnly.

Running his hands through his hair, knocking his goggles off in the process TJ growled out "What tha hell am I gonna do, especially with Gar…"

"…"

To that, no one had an answer.

* * *

Hiiro groaned a little, before slowly blinking his eyes open. "…?"

Just as the boys eyes began to flutter open fully, a quick blur, of a certain girls hand snipping hard on his shoulder flashed in his vision, the hard pinch rather helping to snap him up a bit quicker in the process

"Ow!" Hiiro yelped out, trying to move his arm, but finding it a little difficult to reach. "…wha…?"

"Ketlin! Be careful already!" Amalia called out.

"He got us scared! He deserved at least 'that' much," the other girl trainer fumed, crossing her arms with a deep frown and pout to the blond girl.

"But you don't have to hurt him like that!" Amalia called out, moving over. "How are you feeling, Hiiro?"

"Um… tired… I guess…" Hiiro mumbled.

Grumbling a bit to that, the young Shonen gave a slight flat expression as she sighed. "Jeez you take a few seconds of the 'permanent nap' then nap the whole way in the hospital and you're still tired, eash…"

"…huh?"

"Ya heart stopped dangit, you gave us all heart attackies too while ya did it!"

"…it did?"

"You're in a hospital with electric burns on ya chest aren't ya?" Ketlin grumbled, before blinking and pointing to the girl besides her. "And you owe her team big thanks, if ya didn't get thunderzapped and teleported here it coulda been bad!"

Hiiro blinked drowsily over to Amalia. "…oh… thanks, Ami…" he managed to get out.

"…ugh right docty medicines," Ketlin grumbled, poking at the pole leading to the boys pain medication with a growl. "Stupid stuff…"

Angie slithered over and mewled cutely, rubbing her face against Hiiro's.

"…oh, hey…" Hiiro smiled a little and reached up, lightly moving his hand over her head. "…how're you doing?"

Angie mewled as Haru came over. "Hiiros! We got you some soda!" she chirped happily.

"…oh… thanks…" Hiiro tried to reach for the can, but his hand was shaking a little as he did.

"Yeah, got tha soda…after someone busted tha machine," TJ grumbled out, helping to open up the can and grab a straw for the boy to use as he gave his daughter an angry look.

"That was unnecessary," Amalia added.

Ketlin didn't respond to that, quickly gulping down her own drink with a slight frown.

"…oh…" Hiiro murmured, taking a slow sip from his drink through the straw.

"So," the silverhead said, quickly diverting the subject. "Nice nap kiddo?"

"…I guess so…"

Amalia sipped her own soda, before turning to TJ. "So… when can Hiiro leave?"

"Hm…Day or two…"

"Yay!" Haru cheered.

Hiiro allowed a small smile. "Great… I hate hospitals… so I'd rather just get out of here and get back on track…" he got out, as the morphine started to lose its disorienting effects on him.

"Erm, maybe we should stay a few days afterwards, jus ta get cha in shape again," TJ quickly said out, nodding to the boy as he patted his shoulder. "Sides couldn't hurt to add cha Pokémon's trainen, ne?"

"Oh… yeah, I guess so," Hiiro mumbled, before seeming to remember something and turned to Ketlin. "Hey… so did we win?"

Smiling a bit, the girl nodded, giving a slight poke as she chuckled. "Duh, told you wed get 'em second time"

"Cool," Hiiro said with a small grin.

Chuckling a little himself, the silverhead looked thoughtful a few moments, before nodding to the boy. "Say, um Hiiro, wha was tha number of tha doc of chas, from before? Might help if cha get like some old prescribed medicine jus ta make sure cha don't conk on us again."

"Huh…?

Amalia blinked curiously. "Hiiro has his own doctor?

"Yeah, sure. We ran inta em before, had a grump of an old dog too, think its name was Gars."

At those words, Hiiro tensed sharply, but then he frowned darkly. "…Find it yourself. I want nothing to do with him ever again."

"Huh?" Amalia and Haru chorused.

"Hiiro, I really could use tha doctor's number, kay?" the silverhead resorted, looking a little insistent on the matter.

Frowning at that, the daughter gave her father a look, but remained silent.

"And like I said, find it yourself, 'coz you're not getting it from me," Hiiro said simply, turning away to look out the window.

Sighing, the silverhead scratched the bridge of his nose a bit at the boy's response. "Ugh…alright…"

Amalia blinked a little before she smiled. "Well, we'll make sure Hiiro gets better! Haru, c'mon!" she chirped as her sister picked up Angie again, hurrying out the door.

"Hey! Sissy, wait!" Haru called out, hurrying after.

Hiiro remained silent and continued staring out of the window, not saying anything else to the two people remaining.

"…What's the deal" Ketlin growled out.

"Eh, nothen kit…" TJ quickly retorted.

The girl didn't seem to let up, crossing her arms with a nasty frown growing on her face. "…"

The boy on the hospital bed chose not to react to their words, and merely settled back on the bed, shutting his eyes solemnly as though he was planning to go back to sleep.

Frowning a little, the Shonen father gave a look to his daughter, before sighing with a nod. "Guess I'll look it up then…Ket don't disturb em too much."

Watching as her father walked off, Ketlin turned her attention to the boy along the bed, grumbling something.

* * *

As TJ walked out of the room, though, a voice echoed from down the hallway.

"Are you insane?" Zienna's voice cried out.

"You got any better ideas?" Nitira's voice shouted back.

"You know very well that that's considered illegal! Just because you pulled it off before doesn't mean-"

"But it might just be the only thing that can save him right now! There ain't enough heart donors out there his age! There's no way to get him one within the span of a few days!"

Blinking at that, the silverhead adjusted the goggles on his forehead, quickly walking over to the arguing twins curiously. "Oi, Z, N wha's tha sitch?"

Both women tensed at the voice, whipping around at the same time. For a moment, neither spoke, before they both said: "Nothing. Nothing important."

After a moment longer, Zienna asked: "So… how was he?"

"Physically all things considered he's alright…I tried ta get him ta tell me his father's number ta call him but well…clammed up faster than a Cloyster."

"You expect a runaway to give you the number of his parents just because he had a little collapse?" Zienna questioned. "Of course he'd clam up. I don't know why he ran off, but if he ran off, then it was because he didn't want to go back or speak to his parents anymore."

"Parent," TJ said simply with a growl. "I know tha sitch with them but let's face it, looks like, much as I hate to say it, talk to Gary bout this…"

"So it was him, huh?" Zienna mumbled, before she held out her hand, a piece of folded paper held between her fingers.

Taking it simply, not bothering to glance to it as he figured what it was the silverhead nodded "Yeah…unfortunately. From wha I heard sounds like Gar never told him what was wrong with him an kept him locked up like a caged Pidgey."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Zienna mumbled. "He wasn't too serious 'bout actual training, so I had a feeling he wasn't gonna be serious about this, too."

"Gary… ain't that the brat you talked about from Kanto? Oak's grandkid or somethin'?" Nitira asked, though she didn't sound too interested.

"Yeah, unfortunately he is Sam's grandkid," TJ muttered with a sigh, rubbing his temples as he did.

Zienna nodded solemnly. "Anyway, you go call 'im. We'll go see if there're any donors available anywhere," she said, before she and Nitira walked away silently.

"Thanks…ugh…" Gritting his teeth, TJ looked around, before making his way to the phones, growling some more as they were vidphones as well. "Great…Okay let's see…" Bitterly typing a bit, the silverhead leaned into the chair, watching the screen as the call was being sent through.

After a few moments of waiting, the line finally connected, but no image came through. "What is it?" came a tired, worn out voice, obviously Gary's. It sounded like he'd been up all night.

"Cha always sounded like crap when cha were downen someone but cha sure let cha voice go didn cha lill Oaky?"

"Huh… Oh…" A heavy sigh resounded from the other side. "Shonen… how'd you get this number?"

"I'm stalken cha, I got tha missing kid poster here," TJ grumbled back, sighing as he leaned into the back of the seat. "Not liken this…"

"What?" Gary was awake almost instantly. "You know where he is?"

"Keep cha voice down its a vidphone an I'm too tired to pick tha horn up Gar." TJ grumbled again, hissing as he rubbed his face "Yeah I know where he is"

Gary waited a few moments before he spoke again. "Where?"

"Ain't tellen."

"What the hell? Why not!"

"I need a good reason to right now, besides. First I got a question for cha, Gary" TJ said, quickly sitting up as he interlocked his hands and rested his chin on them

"…Fine," Gary grumbled, sounding very annoyed at that point. "What is it?"

"Why doesn' cha son know he has a heart problem tha could kill him before he's an adult."

"…" Gary was silent for a long moment, before he sighed heavily. "You ever tried telling someone that?" he asked instead of answering. "It's impossible… Look, I tried to tell him… I really did… but… I just couldn't say it…"

Silent himself for a moment, the silverhead sighed out into his hands, running them along his face. "…I know it's even harder ta deal with somethen like that when it's cha child…but cha were so busy tryen to protect him to prolong his life cha forgot why cha were doen it…"

To those words, Gary had no response.

Taking a breath as he picked his words, TJ looked to the screen, ignoring the fact it was blank as he went on. "Cha grandfather should be a good example to this, tha value isn't in how long a life has been, but how much each minute of that life was lived Gary…By tryen so hard to guard him, cha basically were taken away what good years he could have had…"

"…there was another reason…" Gary mumbled suddenly.

"I wanna hear it, cause as much as I cannot like cha I still know cha a smarter man then cha seem ta be about this matter," TJ nodded, quickly sighing. "So, drop it on me…"

"…if I let him go out… his mother would find him…"

Raising a brow at that, the silverhead muttered "Why's tha an issue?

"…she's…" Pausing briefly, Gary finally sighed heavily. "She was part of the Lunar Corps, 17 years ago…"

Frowning, the silverhead looked downard, his mind seemingly sparked by that "The Lunar corps…"

"It's not a well known organization… but let's just keep it at the fact that they were like Cipher from Orre… only more extreme, as their experiments… included both Pokémon and humans…"

The sudden smash of the Shonen's fist colliding with the wall besides the screen startled a few people to look to him, but he managed to keep a little calm for the moment as he growled "…What…does tha incline with his mother…cha sayen she would…?"

"…there's a scar on his right arm, below his armpit… it's where she put a syringe to attempt to inject him with something… I stopped her before she could, but the needle dragged across the skin in the process…" Gary's words were solemn, and were almost dead.

Narrowing his eyes, TJ growled a bit, saying some rather colorful words as he grumbled out "Right…this leaves an issue…I'm not tellen cha where he is, Gary."

"…why not?" Gary asked solemnly, whatever anger had been in him completely drained at the memory of Hiiro's mother.

"Cha jus told me why…it's dangerous…it's a good thing 'I haven' seen an Oak' in months now," the silverhead said, muttering a bit as he continued "And it might be better if no one expects to look for him or posters of him around tha region…"

"…Right…" Gary sighed. "…I'll work on that then… Just… one thing…"

"Don' worry…Riaku an me are staying by him," TJ said, chuckling a bit. "Should…meet this kid…stubern as cha, determined as cha gramps…he's got a good heart ta him too."

"…yeah…" Gary mumbled. "…please just… watch out for him… alright?"

"Arceus wouldn' be able ta stop me," the silverhead chuckled, before nodding a little. "Ey, Gar…Lionel…cha pick tha name?"

"Urgh… my sister did… and his mom loved it…" Gary grumbled out.

"Ugh, okay my respect for her has kinda jus dropped considerably now…"

Suddenly, a man's voice echoed over the speakers above him, calling out to several doctors to move to room 620, followed by some sort of code that probably meant something bad, given how fast the doctors were moving then.

Looking up quickly, TJ moved over to the switch of the vidphone. "Sorry Gar gotta fly," he said, quickly switching the phone off and rushing back for the room 'Dammit…'

The moment he got there, he could tell that something had happened. The doctors present were shouting to each other about one thing or another, even as one of them covered Hiiro's nose and mouth with an oxygen mask again, another using a defibrillator on his chest.

"HEY COME ON WHAT'S GOING ON DARN IT!" the young Shonen girl's voice roared out, trying to get back inside the room to see things, her father quickly coming up behind her holding her back. "Papa, they…"

Shushing his daughter, TJ pulled his goggles down a bit, squinting to look better to the room as the doctors hurried around. 'Dammit…'

Hiiro's eyes were half-opened, as though he was struggling to wake up, but his eyes were almost white and glassy, and his mouth was parted slightly, barely getting the necessary oxygen through. His body jolted with every shock of the defibrillator, until he finally choked for air at the 4th jolt. His body was shaking slightly, but the expression on his face did not change.

It was almost as though he was already…

'Double dammit'. Gritting his teeth, TJ managed to clam himself to keep his daughter from noticing, patting at a nurses shoulder as he nodded "Will he be alright? What happened?"

The nurse blinked curiously, before she asked cautiously: "Are you family?"

"Primary care giver now what's tha sitch?"

The nurse gave a small nod. "His heart stopped beating for a few moments. We're not sure why, but the doctors are looking into it now."

TJ nodded, rubbing his daughter's shoulders as she tensed, looking down to the girl in question. "Kit, anythen happen in there while I was gone?"

"N-no, we were talking and…"

"TJ-san?" Amalia's voice called out as she and Haru came over, carrying a small bag that came from the PokéPark, obviously. "Wh… what happened?"

"Hiiro…he kinda had another attack…but he's fine now don worry, jus needs lill more rest…"

"O-oh… kay…" Amalia got out, her grip tightening for a moment on her bag. "But… we got him some snacks…" she said with an unhappy pout.

"Ah don't worry bout it" TJ said, trying to lighten the girls spirits as he reached down to ruffle her hair, muttering to avoid any doctor or nurse's ears. "He'll need them with how hospital food can be."

The two girls smiled a little and smiled at each other, even as most of the doctors began to file out of the room, a few of them staying behind to discuss some things.

TJ looked up, trying to hear into the doctors conversation, before sighing as he lifted his goggles "Well, might need an extra day here on tha island then I guess…"

"…Good" Ketlin muttered, crossing her arms with an angry expression on her face. "Hiiry kept me from doing my badge get pose. So he gotta pay back with extra training and helping me find a stand in for Deva here before we go!"

* * *

"Cardiac arrest?" Zero asked in surprise.

"Twice," Zienna mumbled, rubbing her temples.

TJ was hunched over on the couch, rubbing the back of his head as he looked to the floor "Yeah…this whole thing jus gets more an more problematic an complicated…"

Nitira hissed angrily through her teeth, before looking up. "So what'd his dad say?"

"…when I heard him tha other night when Hiiro called him…he obviously sounded his usual ass self…but." Sighing, the silverhead leaned back shutting his eyes, reliving the conversation in his mind "He's scared for him…Hiiro's mother…works with Lunar Corps."

"Say what?" all three Crystal Islanders demanded, staring at TJ in something akin to horror.

"It's worse…she tried to use their experiments on Hiiro…"

"…oh shit…" Zero mumbled.

"…fuck…" Nitira grumbled.

Nodding, TJ propped his chin along his knuckles again as his elbows rested along his knees, looking a mix of ticked off, confused, and tired to say the least. "Yeah…tha's why Gar didn put posters sooner…he also couldn' tell his son his chances to live were…not good," the silverhead sighed out, a bit bitterly. "For once, can' blame tha punk Oak…"

"Damn…"

Zienna sighed heavily and leaned back against the wall.

Nitira grumbled something under her breath, but said nothing else.

"…Jus in case…if cha guys got anymore friends in other parts of Gem or tha Gym Leaders cha can trust, ask em to take those posters down. Gar should be worken on it." TJ sighed out, as he looked to the ground, a bit in deep thought for a few moments.

"Yeah… I'll ask Red 'bout it later…" Zienna mumbled.

"…How much d'ya know 'bout the Lunar Corps?" Nitira asked after a while.

TJ remained silent for a bit, clenching his fists a bit tightly as he seem to steady himself, but shook his head "Gar said they…were like Cipher…but also with humans…tha's all he said for tha minute…"

Nitira was silent, before glancing to the other two adults in the room. Neither said anything, which the Gym Leader took as a "go ahead".

"Their main goal was ta try and manipulating people through their dreams…" Nitira said simply. "For that, they used two specific Pokémon… a Pokémon of Dreams, and one of Nightmares."

Looking up quickly at that, the silverhead looked over. "Cresselia and Darkrai?"

"Yes," Nitira said simply.

"Now I'm really not liken how this is turnen…"

"…However, only one of them was in their possession… the other was the one controlling them, as it turns out…"

Blinking, TJ narrowed his eyes at that. "Cha sayen…Darkrai was controlen tha Lunar corps? To take over people's minds?"

"…Their 'Nightmare project' went boom," Nitira said solemnly. "But yes, that's pretty much it."

TJ couldn't find any words to that, simply slumping into his hands again as he rubbed his face, sighing as everything began to make his head swim to a tidal wave of a headache.

Zero sighed softly, before turning to the other Leader. "'Ey Sis, were there any donors for the kid?"

"…None," Zienna said solemnly.

"…crap…" TJ managed out simply, letting himself fall back into the backrest of the couch. "Jus…crap."

Just then, the door opened and the girls hurried back in, followed by Oswald and Maeryn. "We're back!" Amalia chirped, hurrying over and dropping a pack of colored papers on the table.

"We got the stuffs!" Haru called out, putting her own pack of different colored papers down.

"Think we got enough?" Ketlin muttered a bit, looking at the packs of paper curiously "Maybe we should take another trip…"

"…Each pack has 500 papers, so unless we screw up, we've got more than enough…" Oswald mumbled simply.

Quickly giving a last sigh into his knuckles, TJ quickly got up, chuckling a little as he got by the kids "Cha guys have enough to make a life sized cruise ship model""

Amalia giggled as she opened her pack. "Well, let's start, ne?"

The adults watched silently as the kids settled around the table and started pulling out pieces of paper to fold. No one questioned what they were making, as they all knew;

It was an old urban legend that if you folded a thousand paper cranes for a sick person, that they'd get better. It was a lot of work, and it was brutal on the hands if you kept going nonstop, but for some reason, people would always do it.

"You heard her! Got hands, come out!" At that, Ketlin's Pokémon, accurately, Natsu, Toku and Thorn appeared. Looking to the dark/grass type, she blinked out "Er ya got arms but ya don't even have palms…"

"Cacturne cac!"

"Okay just don't complain when your cranes come out like dump sites…"

Haru giggled at that, as she started to fold her papers, along with Amalia. As she did, Abbey and Patricia popped out of their Pokéballs, starting to work quickly. Maeryn was silent as he settled at the table and started working. Oswald was equally busy working on the small papers.

The adults only watched silently. Neither of them seemed ready to inform that there was a high chance that Hiiro would be alive by the end of the week.


	18. Chapter 17 Memories of the Forest

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 17: The Memories of the Forest**

* * *

The next day, Hiiro remained unconscious throughout the day. He remained completely unmoving, and he was hooked up to an IV with oxygen tubes placed into his nose to aid his breathing, as it had become very weak overnight. He was no longer responding to people when they spoke to him, and it was difficult to say whether or not he even heard them.

Sitting in the chair next to the boy, the daughter Shonen was speaking to him as he slept, folding the edges of papers as she was busying her hands with more cranes, which was reaching a fair number by now. "And you know you're getting three extra pinches when you wake up, Hiiry, don't like sitten still long…or worriens…"

Amalia walked into the room, looking around. "He's still sleeping?

"Hm?" Looking up quickly, Ketlin sighed, nodding as she looked over to the unconscious boy. "Yeah…"

"Oh…" The blonde girl seemed to think for a moment, before hopping on another chair. "Darnit…"

Haru toddled in, too, looking around and pouting a little before plopping down on the ground to keep folding.

"He'll be fine…" Ketlin muttered, creasing out a wing to her crane before adding "He knows what I'll do to him if he doesn't."

"Huh?" Haru blinked in confusion. "What do you means?"

Looking over as her fingers still worked, the girl grinned out, looking a bit like some particular Ghost types that haunt her, giggling. "Oh, if Hiiry ever not got better from this, I'd find him, turn him into a Ghost type Pokémon, shove him in a Pokéball an kick it through each inch of all the Gem islands. Twice."

Amalia and Haru giggled.

* * *

Looking through the one way mirror, the silverhead sighed, rubbing his neck as he sat down, still watching as the girls worked on cranes for the sickened boy, his daughter at the moment snarling as hers came out unimaginably wrong. "Jeez…"

Zero watched the kids for a long moment, before he sighed. "Damn… poor kid…"

"Ey, don say things like tha Zero, he still got his fighten chance an tha boy got some serious fight in him. I heard it."

"Maybe so…" Zero mumbled. "But without a new heart for him… "

"We'll find one for em," TJ quickly retorted, sounding a bit insistent on the matter, though obviously, it was mostly for himself. "It's out there…jus need ta keep looken…"

"…I hope so, man… I really do…" Zero said softly, watching as the girls put a few cranes on Hiiro's bedside.

Leaning into the seat some more, the silverhead sighed, looking to the ceiling for a moment before shutting his eyes, trying to clear his head. "Ugh…an at this rate tha girls will figure somethen…specially if Ketlin gets her senses back in full…kinda makes tha trip to tha tower good in hindsight…"

* * *

That night, two silent figures hovered outside of Hiiro's hospital room, quite literally, since his room was on the 6th floor. The duo watched the boy quietly, seemingly lost in thought, before they 'spoke'.

_What do you think, Raynie?_ Shin asked silently.

**I think he's very unlucky…** Raynie responded.

_Indeed… Without a donor heart, the boy will die as is._

**And after beating us both… so sad.**

The two Psychic types remained there for a moment longer, before Raynie spoke.

**You heard of what Nitira has planned, right?**

_Yes, and I have to say I disagree. It's illegal, plus it's unheard of. And no one is sure it will work in the first place._

**Then how do you propose this boy be saved?**

_That's new… you wanting to save someone. _Shin chuckled as he moved his head to avoid the smack to his head.

**Not funny.** Raynie frowned, before looking back to the boy. **…Do you really think we shouldn't attempt it?**

Shin was silent for a while longer, before he gave a small sigh. _Even if everyone agreed, who's to say it'll work? Just because we all breathe the same air doesn't mean that-_

**But it's possible… right?**

Shin remained silent.

**…We have to try…**

_…Gramps isn't gonna agree to that, you know?_

**Only one way to find out…** Raynie said simply, before spinning on her heel and flying off.

_Raynie!_ Shin sighed, shaking his head and hurrying after her.

* * *

**_…Save him?_**

"That boy is more important than you may think…"

**_…I do not see how we can be of help in saving him._**

"Your grandson has only just passed away, did he not?"

**_…!_**

"Humans would consider it illegal… but we merely seek to save the life of one of their own. They should be grateful that we feel the need to protect them as we do."

**_You mean how 'you' feel the need to protect them… Isn't that what you've always done?_**

"However long I have done it… does not matter now. There are more important matters at hand at this point."

**_Hmph. And who is to say that this will actually work? We are too different as a species._**

"It will work."

**_Hm?_**

"It will work. If that is all of your concerns… you do not need to worry."

**_…Even so, what good will it do?_**

"Would your grandson not be satisfied if you did?"

**_What…?_**

"He saved his own children once before… would he not be satisfied if his death could help another child to live on?"

**_…_**

"Would he not want his death to have a meaning other than saving his own kin?"

**_…you're not leaving with 'no' for an answer, are you?_**

"Perhaps…"

**_…fine. You win._**

* * *

The following morning, Zero was silent as he worked on breakfast, obviously not in the mood for any actual conversation. Though who could really blame him?

The silver haired father, stumbled his way into the kitchen, looking no less better and with far less sleep to his face. Yawning out a grunt of a hello, TJ sighed as he slumped into the nearest seat, letting his forehead meet with the table in the process. "Nrgh…"

"…Morning."

"Morn…cha boy up yet?"

"He said he headed out early to the park," Zero mumbled. "Truthfully, I told him to go. To keep his mind off of things."

"Wish kitten would listen as good as Oswald did," TJ sighed out in response, sitting up to rub his face. "Nrgh…least cha guys are around with Riaku, I don think I could literally survive if I couldn't relax tha much off my head to keep an eye on Hiiro…"

Zero shrugged as he put the plates on the table. "How's she doing?"

"For her, alright…but she's starten ta get a feelen I think…" TJ muttered, starting to munch away the meal with a small thanks, grumbling "She got up earlier…went to tha hospital early."

"Urgh… dammit…" Just then, the phone started ringing. "Oh of all the… gimme a sec…" Zero grumbled, heading to the living room to pick up the phone

The other father gave a nod, sighing looking to his plate as he ate silently, mind reeling too much to process words so early the morning anyway.

A few minutes later, though, Zero came rushing back into the room, calling out: "They found one!"

Hearing those words did the trick. Quickly jumping up from his seat, TJ looked over not even noticing the knocked over chair he just dropped in the process. "Great!"

"Sis can't be at the hospital since she's got challenger, but he should be going into surgery in an hour."

Hearing that, the silverhaired Shonen went pale. "The hour…Shit!" Quickly shoving the rest of the food off of his plate to his mouth, TJ grabbed at his bag in a rush. "Kemins ah fah haspifle raht now."

"I know!" Zero said, snagging up his own sandwich and hurrying out. "Let's move!"

* * *

"Mrr, stupid Gengar taking my gear and…" Ketlin hissed out as she walked down the hall to the boy's room within the hospital, waving a sleepy morning to some of the more familiar faces of the staff. Coming to the door, the girl began to push along the latch, before blinking as the clicks of the lock caught her ear. "Eh, what the?"

"Excuse me, are you looking for the boy in that room? He's been moved for surgery."

Hearing that, Ketlin whipped around looking to the nurse, eyes going wide at that "Surgery! What surgery? Hiiry was supposed to be fine with some rest!"

Giving an apologetic shrug, the nurse responded to that "Sorry, I can't tell you…"

"Ketlin!" Zero called out from down the hall.

"Cero?" The girl blinked, turning quickly as she saw the blond and her father rush over along the hall. "Papa what's going on why she sayen Hiiry getting operateds?"

"W-wait…" TJ panted out, trying to catch his breath as he held his hand up, the other at his chest. "Gah…know how…Tomodachi's feelen these…days"

Zero looked to TJ for a moment, barely out of breath himself, before he turned to Ketlin. "We just got a call from the hospital. Apparently the kid's condition worsened over night. He needs to go through surgery or he won't survive today."

Ketlin's eyes went wide at that, but as the moments went on and her mind processed it, she began to narrow them at the two quietly.

"Gah…never eat an run…When's he goen in, nurse?"

"Ah… in about 30 minutes."

"Half an hour… not a lot of time, but what can you do?" Zero sighed, shaking his head. "C'mon, let's head to the waiting room for now."

"Yeah…all we can do anyway is wish for tha best an be here for em…" TJ sighed himself, patting his daughters shoulders as he began to head off. "Common kit…"

The girl, watched the two for a few moments, before silently following, still having a narrowed look to her gaze at the two adults.

* * *

Before long, thirty minutes had come and gone, and it was time. As the two adults and young girl watched, one of the nurses pushed Hiiro's hospital bed toward the OR, with a few doctors at the side to guide it properly.

"Well… this is it…" Zero murmured.

"Hang in there kiddo…" TJ said quietly, tightening his fingers around his arms as he had them crossed. "We got wha cha need, keep fighten till they have it set for cha…"

Ketlin, however, didn't say much, just watching quietly as the doctors lead the bed off. However, something at the back of her mind caused her to blink, narrowing her eyes to focus as she looked around curiously. "…"

As the girl focused, she noticed another person following the nurse and doctors, but it was clear that person did not belong with them.

He appeared to be a man, with long, wavy hair that was a pure silver in hue, the bangs hiding his eyes from view. His skin was almost entirely white, and he was dressed in a ceremonial robe similar to Io's, only his was pure silver and gold, with a golden wheel sewn on the back, and the front up to his stomach a dark gray, close to black, and he walked on wooden geta with a single sole that gave him a few extra inches, almost a foot. He followed behind the doctors and nurses, but with such an air that it was almost as though he was guiding them.

His pace was firm and even, until he stopped before the OR's doors as the hospital staff walked through. As the light above the door went on, he merely stood and waited, before his head tilted up slightly, as though he had noticed something, and turned his head to the side… to face Ketlin.

Looking at him with a silent expression, the girl gave a small nod, carefully indicating for a set of phones, before walking that way without a word

Zero blinked a little as Ketlin left, before looking at the man… but seemed to be looking right through him. "…Am I missing something?"

"…I think…" TJ muttered, looking as baffled as the blond as he muttered for zero to hear only "She sees someone…we can'."

While Zero blinked in slight confusion, the man watched her go for a moment more, before he slowly turned on his heel and walked after her, not seeming to be in a hurry.

* * *

Looking around as she came to the phones, Ketlin reached to her pocket, pulling out a coin as she picked a horn up, though instead of the intended slot, she jabbed the coin quickly on the hook, keeping it down. Turning to lean along the wall, the girl looked up, just as the figure drew close. "…Hi…who's this…?"

"…that is of no concern to you, young one…" the man said silently, a slight echo accompanying his voice.

"You're following my friend, makes it my business," Ketlin said back, sounding less and less 'polite' by the second.

"You would rather have him dead… then?" the man said simply, not once changing his tone of voice and never once turning to her, as he stood with his left side facing Ketlin.

Raising her eyebrow at that, the girl muttered back "What do you mean…?"

"The heart he receives today… I arranged…" the man said simply. "Had it not been arranged with the family of the other person's heart… he would have not received it… thus he would die."

Blinking in surprise, Ketlin muttered a bit, before shaking herself steady again "He…heart? …You didn't…I mean…you didn't do something to the person…"

"I merely arranged that the person's family… agreed to let him be a donor for your friend… so that with his own death… he could save the life of another."

Giving a small sigh in relief, the girl nodded, looking the person that no one else noticed before her. "Alright then…but still…why?"

The man didn't respond for a moment, before he finally turned his head to face her, tilting his head back slightly… revealing a pair of sharp, green eyes that glittered with something akin to endless kindness. "Should I have left him then? Should I have left him after he bestowed me with his prayers and wishes for good luck?"

Blinking a bit, Ketlin stared, before shrugging with a small giggle. "Why didn't you say so in the first place, eash even on that side grownups gotta make junk complicated."

"I believe you have things mixed up, young one…" the man said, turning away once again. "I do not belong to 'that side'. It is simply so that most humans do not see me… because I do not wish them to." Pausing then, he tilted his head up a little. "Most peculiar… that you can still see me regardless of that."

"Well…" the young Shonen began, smirking a bit with a shrug. "I can naturally see things on 'that side', you just kinda stepping there when you're like this…makes me wonder who and what the heck are you even more then"

At those words, the man actually smiled. "Perhaps you will learn… someday…" he said as he began to walk away. "When your friend awakes… go to the Crescent Forest… there is someone there who awaits your arrival…"

Blinking to that, Ketlin tilted her head in wonder "Mew? Whaddya mean…"

The man merely waved his hand once without looking back - and faded out of view.

Looking to where he was, the girl blinked out, but sighed with a shrug, taking her coin out of the machine as she hung up. "Weird…astro whateversion that was?" Shaking it off, the girl sighed, heading back by her father and Zero, the silverhead busying with some notes from his bag as the girl flopped on a seat next to him.

Zero looked at her for a moment, but chose not to speak, instead focusing back on the doors to the OR.

Crossing her arms as she slouched, looking to the door herself, the young Shonen quickly said in a rather dark tone "Why didn't you tell me Hiiry needed a heart?"

At those words, Zero blinked, before turning to the girl. "…Who told you that?"

TJ didn't respond any better, snapping the pen as he quickly glanced to his daughter in surprise. "…jus…who were cha talken to…?"

Shrugging, the girl simply said "Donno…he said he helped get the heart, that's all…somethen kinda familiar bout him…"

Zero didn't really respond right away, glancing to TJ for a moment before he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "…Well… that's…"

"Nakama shouldn't lie to each other, papa…"

Looking down with a sigh, the silverhead nodded, rubbing his neck a bit as he went in thought. "We jus didn want cha ta get scared or worried…like I said right now it's best to believe Hiiro will pull through an act tha same round him, sleep or not, it woulda helped him want to come back so we can go back on the journey…"

"Last thing he needs is us fussing about him and act like he's made out of glass," Zero added. "Kids as stubborn as him hate when people look down on them."

"I don't look down at anyone like my treasure" Ketlin quick cut in, frowning darkly "Im not letting him off easy or acten like he gonna break on anyone…"

Looking to his daughter, the silverhead chuckle, lightly rubbing her back "Yeah…cha'd be given him death threats if he ever did get tha close"

"Darn right"

Zero merely allowed a chuckle, before leaning back.

"Uncle Zero! TJ-san! Ketlin!"

Blinking in surprise, the silverhead and daughter looked over quickly "Wha?"

Zero looked over. "'Ey squirts," he quipped as Amalia and Haru hurried over, both of them carrying a box filled with paper cranes.

"Is Hiiros inside alreadys?" Haru asked with a pout.

"Hmhmm"

Sighing, Ketlin scooted over, nodding to the other girls to sit. "Just missed hims."

"Darns…" Haru mumbled, before the two girls climbed on the seats.

"Finished the cranes, eh?" Zero asked.

"Yeah," Amalia said with a nod.

* * *

"…It's taking long, huh?" Amalia asked softly.

"How are doctors soooo sllooooow. They had like a bajillion nurses with em…"

Ketlin growled, slouching so far in her seat, only her head and shoulders were actually still on it

Zero sighed, but he didn't comment to those words. The other father seemed as just as lack of commentary as the blond, busying himself again with his notes, with a freshly repaired pen at hand

"Still nothing?"

Looking over, TJ shook his head with a sigh "Fraid not yet Z-gal"

Zienna sighed and walked over, leaning back against the wall, arms crossed over her chest. "Taking their time, huh?"

"Yep," Zero said dryly.

"Why's it taking so longs?" Haru whined.

"Humans aren' like Pokémon our insides take a while longer to sort through," TJ said simply, reaching over to rub the girl's back. "Try an stay calm."

Haru pouted unhappily.

"He'll be fines" Ketlin sighed out, finally flopping onto the ground as she stretched out her legs and neck. "But he is definitely getten a pinch when he gets out."

Just then, there was a ping that made the group look up in surprise.

The light above the OR had gone out.

"Eh, did it break?" Ketlin blinked out in surprise, looking around with a frown for a staff member. "Where's the janitor…"

"…Ket… they're done."

"Oh, great finally!"

"Really?" Ami and Haru chirped at the same time, hopping up happily.

Sighing a bit, the silverhead nodded, putting his things away as he pulled himself up, his daughter practically springing back to her feet from the floor. "Yeah…"

As the doors opened, the doctors removed their mouth caps, and allowed smiles as one of them gave the group a thumbs-up, while a smiling nurse pushed the bed back out of the room.

Quickly rushing over, Ketlin followed along the nurse and the sleeping boy with a growl. "You better enjoy this cuz your arm's gonna get scrunched when you wake up, Hiiry…"

Amalia and Haru hurried after as well, smiling brightly, while the adults merely watched silently.

"…Whew…" Zero sighed. "That was close…"

"Yeah, donno wha woulda happened if tha heart didn…" TJ began, before narrowing his eyes, looking down the hall to where his daughter went, to speak with the unseen visitor, before muttering "Who…"

"Hm?" Zienna looked to TJ. "What is it?"

"Kitten…saw someone who said he got tha heart for Hiiro…we couldn' see em…but…" He frowned, rubbing his chin as he sighed "Who could it have…"

* * *

Once they had arrived in the CCU (Cardiac Care Unit), the nurses had left the girls alone with the boy, who, while he was still hooked up to oxygen, appeared to breathing calmly.

"Mrr…this stinks…" Ketlin sighed out, leaning her chin along the guard rail of the boy's bed.

"Huh, how so?" Amalia asked, reaching for her bag and rummaging inside.

"All the medicines they gave him he wouldn't feel the pinch if I did it right now to wake him up… you're getten extra extra pinchy later, Hiiry," The girl grumbled, turning to a soft feline like growl as she eyed his sleeping form .

"Oh."

Just then, something popped open in her bag and a small brown head popped out. "Vee!" Eevee chirped hopping out of Ami's bag and jumping from the ground to the chair and onto the bed. "Veeee!"

Haru giggled. "Silly Eevees!"

Eevee wagged his tail happily, before moving forward and licking Hiiro's cheek.

Giggling a little herself, Ketlin reached out, scratching the fox like Pokémon's head and ears. "Hey no fair, if I can't wake him up you shouldn't try to either."

The other girls giggled, too, but before they could say anything…

_…I… can hear you… you know…?_

"…Buh?" Ami and Haru chorused.

"Hiiry?" the young Shonen blinked out, looking to the boy quickly in response

_…wait… you… heard that…?_ Hiiro's voice called out… but his mouth wasn't moving and his face had not shifted at the least.

Eevee blinked curiously, sniffing at Hiiro's face.

Looking in surprise to that, the girl narrowed her eyes a bit, poking the boy's cheek a few times questioningly. "The hecks…Hiiry…you're psychics now?'

Hiiro was silent for a little, before he groaned and furrowed his brows, and slowly blinked his eyes open. _W…what… happened?_

"Wow… maybe Maeryns also had surges," Haru quipped.

"I dun think so…" Amalia mumbled.

Looking over a bit, Ketlin gave Haru a slight dry look muttering "You don't get psychics from a surgery…"

"But Hiiros just did, didn't he?"

"You're mostly borns with it, sometimes it gets awaken by something big. Saw one get his powers waked up by being hit by lightning." Ketlin shrugged, turning to the boy with a grin. "Anwyay, you're up, so" *PINCH*

"Ow!" Hiiro cried out - and at the same time, the pitcher of water that had been standing on the stand beside his bed burst apart, sending glass and water flying.

"EEP!" Amalia yowled.

"Wah!" Haru yelped.

"Vee?" Eevee yipped with wide eyes.

Looking over in surprise, Ketlin blinked out "Whao, telepathy and telekinesis…"

"What was that for…?" Hiiro choked out, managing to work his voice, finally.

"For worrying us," Ketlin said simply

"It's not like I did it on purpose!"

"I know, you're so klutzy Hiiry," she giggled out.

"Ket what was…Hiiro cha up already? Heh had us worried there kiddo. How cha feelen?" TJ said, looking over as he walked within the room, reaching over to pat the boy's shoulder gently.

"Ugh… kind of… weird… I dunno… I feel… different…" Hiiro groaned, out, reaching up to rub his temple.

Reaching over, Ketlin put her fingertip to the side of the boy's forehead, quickly pointing to one of the shattered remains of the pitcher. "Watch papa, Hiiry, try pushen right there, and focus on that again."

"…Focus on… what?" Hiiro mumbled.

"Just feel like you're pushen where my finger is, and look real hard at that shard there"

Blinking himself, TJ looked to his daughter's fingertip, or accurately where she was tapping. "Wait a nano wasn tha…"

Hiiro sighed softly and reached for the point she was talking about, watching the shard with a slightly glassy expression.

…nothing happened.

"…It's not working anymores…" Haru whined, pouting.

"Vee?"

"Hm, Hiiry must only have one shots in him, guess that's another way girls are better," Ketlin giggled a little, rubbing the boy's forehead a bit. "Maybe you just need practice."

"Ket…cha sayen Hiiro's a telepath?"

"He broke the pitcher," Amalia quipped.

Looking over, the girl nodded quickly. "And talked with his mind to us before he woke all way up."

Looking in surprise a few moments, the silverhead nodded, something seemingly running through his mind at the news. "I…see…"

"Hm…hey. Maybe when his heart stopped or your Pika zapped him it woke that part of his head up, Ami."

"Hmm…"

"…Hiiros…?" Haru asked worriedly, as Hiiro reached up for his head with a pained groan.

"My… head hurts…"

"…Oh" Shaking it aside, the silverhead reached over, easing the boy to lay down again. "Try an rest, if tha girls right, cha usen a muscle to an extreme that's still new. It's better ta rest for tha nano."

Ketlin nodded, patting Hiiro's shoulder a bit easily. "Yeah, I pinched you already so you can go back sleep."

"Urgh… guh…!" Hiiro hissed in pain, almost digging his fingers into his skull as he gritted his teeth, almost violently twisting his body sideways as he struggled not to scream.

"Hiiros!"

Blinking at that, TJ quickly went to the door crying out "EY NURSE!"

Reaching over, Ketlin gripped the boy's hands quickly growling "Hiiry, I know it hurts but ya gotta try an calm down come on…"

As Ketlin grabbed hold of him, though, Hiiro's eyes flashed open briefly before clenching shut, but when they'd opened briefly, you could see a pale blue glow coming from his eyes.

"Hiiro-kun!" Amalia cried out, just as the nurse rushed in.

"What is-oh my, what happened?" she cried out, hurrying over to the boy's bedside.

"Hiiry, stay calm okay? You gotta try an relax!"

"His head…gah look Nurse please get like somethen to help him relax or sleep or somethen would cha?" TJ said in a hushed growl, trying to keep the kids from panicking.

"R-right," the nurse said, pulling out a syringe and taking his arm, moving to inject the needle into his arm…

However, the moment the needle so much as touched his arm, Hiiro's eyes snapped open in alarm, his eyes glowing a fierce blue. "NO!" he screamed, as a blue glow surrounded the nurse and moved her back, making her yowl, before she screamed as she was flung into the wall on the other side of the room.

Yelping at that, the silverhead quickly rushed over, catching the nurse began to fall again. "S-slag!"

Seeing that, Ketlin grit her teeth, quickly pulling one of Hiiro's hands to touch the side of her head, her free hand mirroring his as she held his head. "Hiiry, calm down…this is gonna stink…"

Blinking, TJ looked over wide-eyed "Ketlin wait!"

As Ketlin's mind connected to Hiiro's though, the boy gave another scream as even Ketlin was surrounded by a blue glow and then flung back.

"Ketty!" Haru cried out, even though Amalia managed to catch Ketlin before she hit the wall.

"Nr…gah…that stunk worse than I thought…" Ketlin hissed out, shaking to clear her head. "Where'd he get a bus to throw at me just now an what's its number so I can sue…?"

"Where's a Dark type when cha need one?" TJ hissed out, helping the nurse up again as he looked over to the boy. "Hiiro! Cha gotta snap outta it!"

Hiiro cried out in pain as he held his head, his body twisting from side to side - before he calmed.

"Oh thank Arc…"

Getting her head clear again, Ketlin eyes snapped open sensing something, familiar at that. Looking up, she blinked, seeing the invisible figure again. "Ah!"

While no one saw the figure, what Ketlin was seeing was the same person she had spoken to before, his hand placed gently on the boy's forehead. His expression was solemn as he merely stayed like that, until his mouth moved.

"It is all right, child…" he spoke softly. "Do not fight it… if you fight, it will only hurt you… let it come… just let it come…"

Hiiro was silent as he panted for breath, before his eyes lost their fierce glow and they fell shut, his hands falling to rest beside him.

"…Huh? What just happends?" Haru called out in confusion.

Ignoring the girls for the moment, the young Shonen made her way to the bed again, giving the figure some space as she took the boys hand "Yeah, just like that…see you should listen to me more…" Ketlin grumbled the last bit, before looking up to the unseen man. "Showoff…"

Amalia walked over, blinking a little as Eevee hopped back on Hiiro's chest - before he blinked and looked up to the 'unseen man'. "…Veee!" he chirped, hopping up briefly.

"Eevee," Ketlin giggled a little looking the little Pokémon over "Get off Hiiry's chest, he just had that cut open ya knows?"

* * *

Hiiro wasn't sure what was happening, but he felt as though he was trapped between dream and reality. He stood in the center of some sort of forest that he didn't recognize and looked around, taking one step at a time.

"…Where… am I?"

Suddenly he noticed movement to the side and blinked. Without a moment of hesitation, he moved. As he went, memories that were not his came to mind, and despite his slight fear, he kept going.

"If you fight it, it will only hurt you."

Recalling those words, Hiiro kept going, though he still didn't know what awaited him. But as the memories continued coming, he started getting an idea.

'…no way…'

Slowly, he stopped and watched as one particular memory reverberated in his mind powerfully.

"Papa! Papa! Papaaaaaa!" three voices echoed out, crying out as three tiny figures ran into his arms. They cried and wailed, but he merely moved his arms to hold them all, despite how much his body hurt. Well, not really… the memory made it seem like his body hurt, but it felt so real…

Was this…?

He remembered a theory he'd heard once, but he had always doubted it. But now…

Now…

* * *

"Jeez…wha a mess." TJ sighed, at least grateful things didn't get any worse, looking over to his daughter, he asked a bit curiously "Tha heck happened?"

"Hm, oh that friend got Hiiry to calm down…no fair I'm his friend longer why didn't he listen to me when I said it?" Ketlin growled out, crossing her arms with a pout.

"What friends…?" Haru asked, while Ami cocked her head.

"Some guy who likes to be invisibles," Ketlin shrugged out, before blinking, something seemingly flashing in her mind. "…couldn't be…"

At that point, the man removed his hand slowly. "Young one…" he said suddenly. "Tell your father… that it was my pleasure to be of help," he told her, before he walked past her and out the still opened door, fading out of view without a word.

Blinking in surprise for a few moments, seemingly to get what just happened fully herself, Ketlin muttered "Um…he said it was his pleasure to help, papa…"

"Who…?"

She was a bit dumbfounded for a bit, but seemed to quickly shake it off, frowning a bit grumpily. "Arceus, legendary show offs are legendaries I swears…"

"Ah," TJ nodded, looking to the door, and just as quickly did a double-take looking to his daughter. "EH!"

"Huh…?" the other girls cried out in equal surprise.

"What, he can't come down an help people who's nice sometimes?" Ketlin said a bit as if finding the trios reaction surprising

"But… why did he…"

"Veee!" Eevee suddenly yipped, as Hiiro slowly opened his eyes.

Looking the boy over, leaning her chin on the guard rail to the bed Ketlin nodded. "You got it outta ya systems yet Hiiry?"

Sighing, walking over to the bed himself, TJ nodded as well. "Feel better yet? Cha almost made this old jack mac stroke here with tha."

Hiiro blinked curiously. "…Oh… sorry," he murmured, pushing up a little.

"And if you throw me like that again I'm stamping your face with a rider kick Hiiry" The girl growled

"…sorry…" the boy got out softly.

"You're forgiven then," Ketlin smiled out, patting the boy's head barely the moment he got the word out.

Hiiro blinked, before he smiled at her.

"Boy you gotta be popular though, Arceus coming to visit you to make sure you get all better and everything I mean."

"Huh?"

"Kit!" TJ quickly hissed for her to be silent

"What it's true," she blinked out

Sighing, the silverhead rubbed his temples. "Not here…we'll explain…wha we can later, kay Hiiro?"

"Um… okay…"

Sighing a little, at least seeming more relaxed as things calmed, TJ nodded between the girls. "How bout cha rugrats go get Hiiro's get well gifts? I gotta talk some boren medical type stuff anyway from tha doctors."

"Huh? Oh! Okay!" Amalia chirped. "Let's go get 'em!"

"Yays!"

"Hey wait for me, gotta make sure none of Thorn's are in the box either," Ketlin giggled, following the girls out quickly, leaving her father as he sighed growing serious as they disappeared.

Hiiro watched them go with a small smile, while Eevee moved forward and huggled against his Trainer happily, before curling up.

Leaning against the wall, facing the boy, TJ began to work out the words in his head for a few moments, before nodding. "Hiiro…um…I don' think cha should try finding cha mum…"

At that, Hiiro blinked in surprise, looking to TJ. "What…? Why not!"

"Hiiro, even if it's fuzzy…cha shoulda noticed a moment cha really felt afraid when cha powers went wild jus now." The silverhead sighed, walking over, slowly putting a hand on the boy's shoulder with a frown. "Part of cha…remembers but…cha mother tried somethen…that hurt cha…"

"…wha…?"

"She…" TJ said, biting his lip in thought, before reluctantly reaching over, tugging the boy's hospital gown a bit to show along his arm. "She works with people…who are like…but worse…than Cipher…she did this," he said, finally nodding to the scar along the boy's armpit, just where Gary had told him

Hiiro looked at the scar in surprise, as though he'd never noticed it before. "What… but… I thought… this was from…"

"She…tried to use cha as one of her group's experiments, Hiiro," TJ managed out, almost choking on the words before he pulled the gown back down, holding the boy's arm with a sigh. "That's tha other reason cha dad never let cha out…he didn' want her to get cha to hurt cha again…and…he was right…cha had a heart problem…cha life expectancy was short of adulthood…"

At those words, Hiiro froze. He didn't speak, and barely appeared to be breathing.

Running his hand along the boys arm, TJ nodded, looking down as he tried to choose his words again. "He's an ass…yeah…but he loves cha…he was jus so scared to lose cha Hiiro…he forgot ta let cha live is all…can' blame him for tha really…"

"…" Hiiro bit his lip and clenched his hand in the sheets, looking away. "…he could've just told me…"

"Hiiro…it's not easy…" TJ sighed releasing the boys arm to rub his temple a bit. "Tellen someone cha love…they're gonna die…or tha person tha is their parent, another person they love they tried to do a sick an twisted thing…Ketlin's good at blurten tha kinda stuff out…but…"

"…"

Looking to the boy, TJ sighed, looking to the ceiling, before shutting his eyes as he spoke "Obviously…I talked with him…he doesn' know where cha are still…I told him its better, in case she looks…that's why he didn get tha posters up sooner…" With another sigh, he looked back to the boy, holding his shoulder firmly. "For now…Hiiro jus get some rest…when cha made a choice…I want us both ta call him together, an tell him…kay? He knows I'll watch cha an accepts it…now tha cha can understand each other better…try an talk it through, kay?"

Hiiro didn't answer that; just looked away silently.

"At least think on tha…kay? Cha got time for it while cha new heart gets set in." TJ nodded, before an afterthought crossed his mind. "Oh yeah…found out who chose cha name, it was cha aunt, go fig huh?"

"…"

"…mad at me for tellen cha all this?"

The boy remained silent, still, seemingly lost in thought.

Sighing at the failed attempt, TJ gave a weak chuckle, rubbing the boys head a bit with a nod. "Try to take it one day at a time, processen all this…also…try not to slam more nurses into a wall kay?"

"…" His only response was a small nod.

"Ugh I told her it wasn't a good idea to try these…" came Ketlin's voice, tossing something from one of the boxes out with a grumble "A crane pinmissled eash talk about bad ideas for get well gifts…"

Hiiro blinked curiously, before he allowed a small laugh. "Haha… not the easiest thing to do with arms like Thorn's, huh?"

"Heh, yeah, but she still gave effort so that's okay I guess…save all the band aids we had to use separating them out of the boxes…" Ketlin grumbled, putting the box along the table beside the boy "Let's see how many this make again…"

* * *

By the time they finished counting the cranes, it was well into the afternoon. But all cranes that were still recognizable totaled to 1000.


	19. Chapter 18 Crescent Forest

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 18: The Crescent Forest**

* * *

That night, Hiiro's sleep was troubled. He kept seeing more and more of the memories he had seen before, and they were starting to give him a major headache. Not to mention everything that TJ had told him earlier. The words had, apparently, triggered the very memory that he had buried under all his other memories before.

Eevee remained at his side, curled up beside his pillow, napping as well.

It made Hiiro a little jealous. 'Wish I could sleep like that…'

**_After not being awake so long, you expect to be able to sleep now?_**

At that voice, Hiiro snapped up in alarm, looking around.

There was no one there.

"Wha…?"

**_Look all you want, you will not find me. However, we do need to speak to each other in private._**

"Whuh…? But… I'm in…"

**_That is hardly a problem._**

At those words, Hiiro's eyes flashed blue briefly and he held his head with a groan. "Urgh…"

At that, Eevee blinked and perked up sleepily. "Vee…?"

Rather than answer right away, Hiiro stepped out of bed, moving over to get dressed. Upon noticing that, Eevee hopped off the bed, yipping happily. Once the boy had dressed properly, he walked out of the room.

And strangely enough, no one tried to stop him and Eevee as they went…

* * *

"Uugh, least now Hiiry can get better…still…whys Arc…" Ketlin muttered, resting her head along the windowsill of Zero's house. "…Mew, guess I shouldn't be the one to…talk?" Just then, she blinked, looking out the window to the darken streets. "That can't be…"

As Ketlin watched, a small fox Pokémon hurried along, yipping happily, his Trainer hurrying after quickly. The boy was holding his head a little, and his eyes were pulsing a pale blue, but he seemed alright otherwise.

He didn't seem to notice Ketlin and just hurried along, while Eevee tottered ahead of him.

"Uh oh psychic sleep walkens," Ketlin hissed, quickly looking around, shrugging as she grabbed her bag and nothing else, hopping through the window as she gave chase. "Hiiry…"

However, the boy hurried along, as though he was being drawn to somewhere.

And before long, he was running into the Crescent Forest.

"The forest?" Ketlin blinked, hurrying along after the boy, before gasping. "Ah, Arc said there was someone here right!" Speeding after, Ketlin suddenly found her pace easier once her bare feet hit dirt.

* * *

The Crescent Forest was not a place people would consider going into at night time. The darkness in the forest was palpable during the day as it was, and going in during the night was even worse. It was practically impossible to see anything, since the trees blocked out most of the star- and moonlight. Several Hoothoot and Noctowl watched the small girl rush through the woods, but they made no attempts to stop or help her.

"Nrgh." Growling a bit as she looked around, the girl grumbled "Where'd he go…Ey you guys see a dorky kinda boy and his Eevee pass by?" she called up to the Hoothoot perched not far above her, grumbling as the owl after no response. "Jee thanks…"

"Vee vee!" came a happy chirp from further into the forest.

"Now that's what I like to hear!" Ketlin grinned, rushing after the sound as she called out "Eevee!"

After another 10 minutes, though, Ketlin suddenly ran smack into something.

"Ack!"

"Gah, watch where you're…Hiiry!" the girl cried out happily, wrapping her arms around the boy's neck quickly in a hug. "Finally you're a pain to find at night ya know"

"Ketlin…?" Hiiro asked, blinking at her curiously. "Why're you here?"

"Veevee!"

"I saw you and followed, dorky," Ketlin muttered, poking the boy's forehead for a moment before patting Eevee's head. "If it wasn't for Eevee I woulda lost ya."

"Why'd you…? Know what… never mind. Look up," he said, pointing up.

Blinking, the girl turned her gaze upward quickly. "Hm?"

From above, several pairs of curious, light purple eyes watched the small girl curiously. Since there was a hole in the leaves above them, it was easy to tell what kind of Pokémon they were; tiny Mewtwo.

"Awww!" Ketlin cooed out, wiggling a bit happily at the sight. "So cute!" She grinned, before blinking a bit as she looked past the eyes to another set behind the little ones. "Oh, er hi mama-two."

The much taller Psychic type merely looked down at them solemnly, before her tail snaked out and pulled the small Pokémon to her. The small Mewtwo mewled curiously, looking up to their mother, before looking back down to Ketlin and Hiiro.

"They're not alone, by the way… look around…" Hiiro whispered.

Blinking, Ketlin shut her eyes for a few moments, before opening them again in surprise, looking around…to a huge slew of the clone based Psychic Pokémon around them. "Two two two lotta Twos…"

"Yeah…" Hiiro murmured, slowly taking a few steps forward, looking around at the different Mewtwo that watched him with mixed curiously and suspicion. "Which one…"

**_So… it seems you made it…_**

Blinking at the voice in her mind, the girl raised her brow looking around "Eh?"

Hiiro blinked and looked to the other side where he and Ketlin had come from. "You're… you called me here?" he asked cautiously.

The Mewtwo standing before him seemed to be taller than the other ones, but also much older; his fur had less shine to it than the others, but he radiated an air of absolute authority, and his eyes were sharp with ages of wisdom. Definitely; he was the leader of the 'pack'.

**_So I did,_** the Mewtwo said solemnly.

The young Shonen blinked a little, before muttering as she pat her fist in her palm. "Oh, right, Hiiry, Arceus said you had to come in here to meet someone. I guess he meant the first Twoy here…You are the first ones, ne?" she asked curiously with a slight tilt of her head.

**_That I am,_** the Mewtwo responded, tilting his head slightly, revealing a golden band of some sort secured around his neck.

Blinking at the sight, the girl began to take a step closer, trying to get a better look to the strange band. "Mew?"

"That's… a GAPR collar, right?" Hiiro asked the question that Ketlin was obviously itching to ask.

**_So it is…_** was the response. **_Now… do you know why I requested you to come here?_**

"I can hazard a guess, yes…"

"I'd like to know too…though, hehe don't mind to much either way seeing the little Twoies," Ketlin began, though she ended up giggling, giving playful little smiles and waves to the youngling clone Psychic types.

"…Hey Ketlin…" Hiiro said suddenly. "What part of the human body contains your memories?"

Blinking to that, Ketlin looked over a bit confused "Eh…well…scientists say your brain, me I don't really agree to much but…why?"

"You know of the theory where they say it's your heart that holds a lot of them?"

"Hehe that's what I beli…is this what it's about, your new heart?"

"…Yeah…"

Raising her eyebrow to that, the girl turned to the elder, and original Mewtwo curiously. "Erm…what does this get to?"

**_Is it not obvious yet, young one?_** he asked simply. **_Do you know from where his new heart came?_**

"All I know is Arceus arranged it…"

**_So you met him…_** At that, the other adult Mewtwo looked at each other in surprise, but did not speak up. **_But why would he require to do so?_**

"Asked the same thing," Ketlin shrugged at that, before looking to the boy. "He said it's cause he wanted to repay Hiiry here for wishing him well or somethings…wait a…" Raising her eyebrow, a thought crossing her mind quickly, the girl turned back to the elder Two. "Hiiry's heart…did it…come from a human…or…"

**_If a human heart had been available for him… there would have been no need for Arceus to step in._**

"Then before…" Looking around to the other Mewtwo, the girls mind seem to try and work the pieces together. "Hiiry's new heart was…"

"…yeah…" Hiiro murmured. "When I was sleeping after my… well… 'tantrum'… I tapped into some of the memories of its previous… 'owner', I suppose…" At this point, he paused and placed his hand over his chest. "…my new heart… is the heart of a Mewtwo…"

"So then that psychic blast before was from some of it…" the girl frowned, nodding, before looking down, her eyes showing the slight bit of regret to it as she muttered to the elder Mewtwo. "I'm sorry…for your lost nakama Mewtwo…"

**_It was unavoidable…_** the oldest Mewtwo spoke solemnly. **_He was already standing on the edge of death from protecting his offspring from the Dark Pokémon that came into our territory._**

"Dark types? They actually come here?" Hiiro asked aloud.

Blinking at that herself, the girl tilting her head. "Weird, didn't they say the island was a better home to you Psychic types…"

**_Not here… at the nesting grounds._**

At those words, Hiiro gasped. "Oh… r-right… Pokémon that are bred at the GAPR are raised as wild Pokémon there unless the owner of the parent Pokémon takes them in…"

"Oh, so there would be other types that wouldn't like some others…" Ketlin frowned, looking to the elder Mewtwo a bit. "So…I guess where he's resting…isn't here is it?"

"Yes, it is, actually…" Hiiro murmured. "Because… he wanted to come back and see this place one last time… before…"

Looking to the boy, Ketlin held back a slight meek giggle. "Yeah, gotta get used to not being numb in that sense huh now…Um…can we, see it please?"

The eldest Mewtwo remained silent for a few more moments, before turning his head briefly. As though given an order, which wouldn't be so strange, a pair of adult Mewtwo moved away for a moment. A little later, they floated down from where they had gone to, holding out their hands and levitating a body between them. Silently, they rested the body before the two Trainers.

The Mewtwo's body was ravaged quite badly; he'd obviously been both bitten and scratched by a powerful Dark Pokémon. Despite the wounds, he did not look all that old, he was possibly somewhere near early adulthood.

The one thing that stood out the most, to the two Trainers, was the incision that had been made across his chest.

Ketlin looked to the body, a silent expression across her face as she looked to the Mewtwo. "Fought so hard too…"

Hiiro moved over and crouched down beside the body. "…so weird… I… almost feel like I'm looking down at myself…"

"Veeee?" Eevee called out, blinking, and hopping over, sniffing at the body curiously.

"Well…" the girl began, kneeling down the fallen Mewtwo, putting her lips to a kiss along her fingers. "In a way, Hiiry…he's your brodtar now either way…" she muttered, putting her fingertips, indirectly her kiss, to the Psychic type's crown as she closed her eyes. "Sorry…didn't get to know you…"

"…I suppose so…" Hiiro murmured, before he stood up again. "…But… how come no one… wait!"

**_You get it, don't you?_** Mewtwo asked. **_Arceus was there… to ensure no one discovered it. Discovered that the heart they gave you was not human, since it is "illegal"._**

Standing up herself, the girl clenched the fist that she used to put the kiss to the Mewtwo's forehead, jabbing her arm up as she kept it there, eyes shut. "What do you mean, Illegal?"

"…Combining human and Pokémon DNA… it's considered immoral and as "unnatural"…" Hiiro said softly. "But I don't know why exactly… though I can guess…"

**_Either way, humans do not approve of it… thus no one desired to attempt it._**

After a moment, Ketlin finally put her arm down, looking to the two with her eyes a bit confused and irritated. "I know it's your home an all Hiiry…but the laws of this kinda stupid…I mean. Well, the Mewtwos and other Pokémon have blood and feel pain like us…if my heart could save a Pokémons, I'd want them to have it if I died."

"But the problem with that is that some Pokémon just… work differently on the inside, Ketlin," Hiiro pointed out. "I mean, your heart wouldn't fit in a Horsea, now would it?

"Mew…I know that…I mean." She sighed, scratching her head as her mind fought to find the words "But alotta parts should still work the same, and if we are why should it not be allowed to help each other…isn't that what humans and Pokémon supposed to be like with each other I mean?"

Hiiro sighed a little. "…Anyway… I'm more interested in something else… who brought up this idea?"

**_We did,_** two voices echoed out. One of which Ketlin would recognize.

Blinking in surprise, the girl looked around, quickly narrowing her eyes. "Shin?"

Silently, two Mewtwo dropped down from their perch to the left of the Trainers; Shin and Raynie, Zienna and Nitira's Mewtwo.

"You two…? But… why did…?" Hiiro mumbled.

"How'd you two know it would work?"

_We didn't,_ Shin admitted with a small shrug. _Was a theory Zienna and Nitira came up with, but with the ban of such actual experiments…_

"Oh, got ya, fighting chance better than just given up." The girl nodded at that, looking to the sky, or attempting to anyway, as she thought. "Well this just proves I'm right a little on that, and hey, Arc wanted to make sure it went through right? So that means he doesn't mind it."

**It was strange… though…** Raynie murmured. **It was almost… like he already knew it would succeed…**

"Why shouldn't it? Even though it's a Mewtwo's heart, it works the same as a human's, so this just proves were not all that different,," Ketlin shrugged out, giving the boys shoulder a pat. "Though… there is one little problem with this now for, Hiiry."

**_Which brings us back to the reason I called him here,_** said the eldest Mewtwo simply.

Raising an eyebrow, Ketlin turned back to the first Mewtwo, nodding for him to go on curiously.

**_While he does possess the memories, he cannot use the skills he has received through this transplant._**

"So… I'm here for… 'training', huh?" Hiiro asked casually.

**_More like ensuring that you will not accidentally use your new skills on others to hurt them._**

"Ah…"

"Too late," Ketlin giggled a bit playfully, though nodding. "Yeah, that's a problem too, though…"

**_Exactly._**

"Okay, so… who am I up against?" Hiiro asked after a moment.

**That would be me,** came a casual voice as a different Pokémon descended from above.

This Mewtwo was clearly younger than Shin or Raynie, but older than the one who gave Hiiro his new heart. Despite that, he had a scar running across the side of his face and across his arm, signaling that he had seen his share of battles, too.

"This oughta help with the other problem…" Ketlin muttered, giving Hiiros back a pat. "Try not to get sent to the moons."

"…Yeah…"

* * *

"Nargh tha girl!" TJ managed to hold back from a full out shout, rubbing his temples as he sighed, looking along the floor with a grumble. "She forgot 'er flipflops again…"

"'Ey… wha's the… yaaaaawn… what's the deal, man?" Zero yawned out.

"Ketlin ran off, again…"

"…" Zero rubbed the dust from his eyes. "…so what you wanna do?"

"Saa…I donno…normally she at least lets me know if she's gonna camp out a bit but this was in a hurry…ish…if she didn take her flipflops."

"Well… she always comes back, right?" Zero mumbled. "Seriously… she'll probably be back before you know it…"

"Yeah I know I know, jus hate when she does without warnen…weird though…Last time she did this though she was chasen…er…" TJ began, trailing off seeming reluctant to continue.

"Chasing what?" Zero asked, before he yawned again. "Yanno what? Forget it… I'm goin' back ta bed. I suggest you do, too."

"Yeah…could use it…" the silverhead growled out with a yawn, rubbing his face "Specially if Hiiro does decide ta talk with his ol man."

* * *

Speaking of the boy…

"Urgh…!" Hiiro groaned as he struggled to stay up and not drop to his knees. The scarred Mewtwo was using his Psychic abilities to force the boy to kneel, and the goal of this was for him to counter it and keep standing. Which wasn't as easy for him, since he was still learning how to use that.

"Come on, Hiiry, ya can do it!" Ketlin called over, pumping her fist in the cheer, before blinking. "Though not sure how…"

The boy panted slightly for breath, as he struggled against the pressure at the back of his head. It was a constant annoyance, and he was starting to have a hard time thinking. However, after swallowing whatever was blocking his throat, he shut his eyes in an attempt to focus.

The Mewtwo frowned silently, but said nothing as he kept his concentration on the boy, the glow surrounding his body intensifying briefly.

"Common Hiiry! Just a bit more, ya can do it!"

As she said that, Hiiro came dangerously close to dropping to the ground, but then he snapped his eyes open, a pale blue glow radiating from them, before he kicked up and stood up straight, panting for breath.

Jumping up, Ketlin punched the air in excitement, her grin going from ear to ear. "Yeah that's it!"

When Hiiro moved so suddenly, the Mewtwo looked a bit surprised, but that was soon gone, and he frowned silently. And then…

**Catch,** he said, before tossing a burst of Psychic energy at the boy.

"Whoa!" Hiiro yelped, barely snagging the orb in his hands - where it burst apart and sent him back. "Gah!"

Giving a yelp, the girl quickly dived, managing to catch the boy as he went back with a groan "Ugh…psychic catch never funs first times…"

"Ow… no kidding…" Hiiro grumbled as he stood up, frowning when he saw the smug look on the Mewtwo's face. "Dammit… I'm not done yet!" he shouted, bringing up his hands again to get ready to catch again.

"Times like this I really wish Big Sistar was here with her Snorlax," the girl grumbled, rubbing her backside as she got up again herself.

The Mewtwo merely watched silently, before creating another orb between his hands. **Catch.**

Hiiro frowned as the orb was launched, quickly trapping the orb between his hands. Just as it was about to burst apart, Hiiro's hands glowed briefly and a small barrier prevented the orb from exploding. But before Ketlin or Hiiro could celebrate, the barrier fell away and it burst apart anyway.

"Gak! …Okay… I almost got it that time!"

"Try and relax it a bit Hiiry, think like catching a water balloon."

"I never tried catching one of those, either," Hiiro replied dryly as he climbed back up to his feet.

"Oh right," Ketlin muttered a bit, scratching the side of her head. "You grew up boredy like…"

"Not my fault…" Hiiro mumbled, getting into position again.

* * *

While Hiiro was making good progress, it took him 4 more tries before he managed to catch the orb, and to throw it right back at his 'opponent'. By that time, Hiiro was panting for breath.

Ketlin had watched a bit, encouraging Hiiro during it, patting the boy's back after he was able to toss the energy back to its owner. "Atta boy Hiiry…wow this is gotta be the most I seen you outta breath…well without passing out in the dirt for once hehe."

"Not… funny…" Hiiro gasped out, wiping some sweat from his brow.

"Neithers when you scared everyone with that, but look you're not passing out no more, ne?"

"Guess not…" he got out, before he managed to stand up straight again.

Just as he did though, the scarred Pokémon lifted up a hand and a blue glow surrounded a boulder, before he tossed it forward, making it drop in front of Hiiro wordlessly.

Hiiro blinked a little, before he seemed to understand and sighed. "Great… this's gonna hurt my head…"

"Welcome to the psychic condition," Ketlin giggled, patting the boys back understandingly

* * *

By the time Hiiro finished 'training', the sun was beginning to rise. And if Ketlin thought that Hiiro was out of breath before, it was nothing compared to his breath at that point, which was short and ragged, and he had to lean forward on his knees.

Rubbing her eyes through a yawn, the Shonen girl stretched a bit, rubbing the boy's back with a slight chuckle. "Hehe you're doing greats for your first real times exersizeys Hiiry…boy you need a shower now though huhs."

"Don't start with me, arrite?" Hiiro mumbled, even as Eevee yipped happily, bouncing around his feet.

To those words, the original Mewtwo merely chuckled. **_You've done well. However, since you are still inexperienced, it would be better for Ray to keep an eye on you._**

"Ray…?" Hiiro murmured in surprise, only to yelp as one of his empty Pokéballs floated out of his bag.

"Mew? You mean he's gonna come with us?" Ketlin blinked in surprise

Rather than a vocal response, the Pokéball clicked briefly, as the scarred Mewtwo-Ray-glowed a bright white, before the ball opened and the Psychic type was pulled in. The Pokéball landed on the ground and gave a simple 'ping', before it was warped away.

**_You are advised to keep him on your party, just in case you need it._**

"…Alright… I probably won't use him for fights much, though… that would be-"

**_Cheating. Technically, yes. But how you use his power is up to you._**

Blinking to that, the Shonen girl looked over, raising an eyebrow at the elder Mewtwo's comment. "What an Ray don't have a say in it?""

To that, the Mewtwo smirked. **_It was his choice, not mine._**

"Wha…?"

**_I suppose he still wishes to stick around his brother's side._**

"Ah, got it. But I just meant on how Hiiry asks for his help is all," Ketlin smiled with a small wave, giving another yawn. "Boo though…we should head back…" she muttered, grumbling something under her breath.

However, before they could leave, something poked into Ketlin's side curiously with a small mewl.

Blinking to that, Ketlin quickly looked over in surprise "Eh?"

Three tiny Mewtwo hovered behind her, tails swaying a little bit as one of the Mewtwo lightly poked her forehead with a curious blink.

"…eeh so cute!" the girl squealed, wrapping her arms about the little Mewtwo, nuzzling them in the hug. "Heheh now the trip was definitely worth it."

The small Pokémon mewled in surprise, blinking a few times, before cuddling up against Ketlin with happy mewls. Hiiro laughed a little looking at the small Pokémon… before he blinked.

"Ah…"

"Ooh so snuggly hehe…Hm?" Ketlin blinked, looking over as she released the psychic kits, patting their heads affectionately as she did. "What is…"

The kits blinked curiously, before they flew over and all pounced on Hiiro at the same time happily, making the boy yowl as he was knocked back.

Blinking at that, Ketlin tilted her head a bit curiously, before letting a silent oh form. "So that's it, they're the ones he fought for…"

Mewtwo merely allowed a smile as the three tiny Pokémon snuggled against Hiiro, who merely laughed and hugged the small kits to him.

Smiling herself, the young girl crossed her arms, enjoying the sight before her, before chuckling as she looked to the elder Mewtwo. "This definitely make you one of my favorite papa wrongs."

The elder Pokémon blinked once, before cocking his head briefly. **_Excuse me?_**

"Papa got into alotta things cause he's been training himself as a master of all Pokémon stuffs." She shrugged, turning back to watch Hiiro and the young Mewtwo. "He didn't wanna get behind Pokémon cloning, least of alls make…erm well you." She muttered the last part a little unsure. "It wasn't to be mean or anything…he was afraid you wouldn't have reason or place to call your own when you would be born."

**_I see._** Looking up to the sky, the Psychic type seemed to think, before he said: **_Perhaps you should return now. Raynie, Shin._**

_Gotcha, gramps,_ Shin chirped with a small smirk, eyes glowing a little, easily lifting up both Trainers.

"Woah, hey I got feet ya know!" Ketlin yelped, flailing a bit as the psychic energy picked her up off the ground.

The tiny Mewtwo mewled unhappily, trying to stick to Hiiro, but Raynie moved over and pulled them away. **Enough, little ones. He has to go, now. You have to let go.**

To that, the small Pokémon actually looked ready to cry, but Hiiro lightly pulled them in one more hug. "Shush you three," he said softly. "I have to go now, but I'll be back as soon as I can. Until I do, you three just stay here and stay safe, okay?"

The trio blinked, looking at each other for a moment, before they mewled happily, tails swaying behind them as they finally let go.

Seeing that, the girl gave a small smile towards Hiiro, nodding a bit before he could see, she smiled broadly to the three little ones. "Yeah, don't worry, nakama never say bye. There's just," she said, clenching her fist and raising her hand as she did before, besides the fallen Mewtwo whose heart beat within the boy beside her, "'See ya later!'"

Shin and Raynie allowed a small smile each, before they took off for the skies, Hiiro and Ketlin following after as they were 'pulled along'.

* * *

TJ yawned a bit, rubbing his face with a tired sigh as he walked to the spare room Ketlin and him were using. "Ugh where'd I put tha…eh?" Blinking as he opened the door, the silverhead looked to a snoozing bundle curled along the bed. "Kitten? When did…"

"Yo, TJ, any sign of… oh, never mind," Zero mumbled as he spotted Ketlin on the bed.

"Yeah, hope she didn climb up through tha window, her dirty footprints are a pain ta clean off walls" the silverhead frowned in response

"Uh huh… I'll start on breakfast. See if ya can get her up, arrite?" Zero quipped as he headed downstairs.

Nodding a bit, the other father gave a sigh, going over as he pulled the sheets off the sleeping girl, gently prodding her sides. "Hey kitten, breakfast time."

At that, the girl gave a feline growl, reaching for the blankets to cover up again.

"Common kit, everyone's awake now…"

"Nu, swreepy, nirights."

Sighing, TJ grumbled "It's not night anymore…"

"Ish sumwherar…"

"…Is she still sleeping?" Oswald asked solemnly as he walked by.

"Ugh, she probably wen' out all night…smells like mornen dew, musta been in tha forest till a while ago…" TJ sighed, rubbing his neck. "She'll be like a Geodude till later…"

"…I see…" Oswald murmured, heading down the stairs silently.

Giving a sigh of defeat, TJ pulled the blanket along his daughter, covering her up again as she began to give a few more sounds as she curled up some more. "Sleep tight kit…wha tha heck were cha doen…" Shaking it off, the silverhead got up, heading his way out as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

As Oswald came down, though, he paused in surprise when he noticed someone in the kitchen. Someone who he'd never seen before.

The figure, a man well long in the years, silently sipping a cup of tea as he sat along the table very casually. Despite his age, he still had a fine long set of silver hair, from a glance, the braids were a batch of nine, entwining along each other as they reached the floor from his seat. He wore an old fashioned set of robes, matching his hair's color, giving a small glance up, his deep blue eyes glanced back to the boy in mid sip of his drink, giving a polite nod to him as he turned back to finish his sip quietly.

"…who are you?" Oswald asked slowly.

"A friend…" the figure said, in a soft, but wise sounding voice, giving a playful smirk to the boy as he raised his cup in a toast to the boy. "Fine tea you have here, I might add."

Oswald frowned a little, but before he could ask…

"Easy, kiddo," Zero called out. "Just give TJ a call will ya? I'm almost done here."

"…Yes sir…" Oswald murmured and walked up a few steps. "TJ… breakfast is almost done.

"Imma comen," was the response, the silverhead hopping down the stairs a bit with a shrug. "Kitten's to far outta it she'll sleep through breakfast taday so…" Before he could finish, he blinked, looking to the old man sipping his tea. Pointing to him curiously, TJ muttered "Wha tha, wha's tha occasion? Cha haven done this human look trick for almost two years now."

Smirking at that a bit, the old man nodded simply. "It would be impolite to meet someone when you ask for them, figured this would be a nice little hello after so many years."

Oswald frowned a little in question but didn't ask, as Zero called out: "Arrite. You two coming? Breakfast's on," moving to the table and putting down several plates with pancakes.

"Oh pancakes," TJ smirked out, quickly hopping over to a seat as he rubbed his hands. "Thanks Zero…wait, cha asked Z-gal over? Wha for pa…"

Taking another sip, the old man reached to his pocket, pulling out a small item, which Oswald and Zero saw as a pink and red colored poffin as he took a nip from it. "You shall see, pup"

"Oh? Well, if you asked Sis, she won't be here until another 10 minutes," Zero said as he sat down to eat as well.

"That is fine thank you, the two kits would be to tired by now to move anyway."

Blinking through a bite of the pancake, TJ raised an eyebrow at tha. "Eh?"

"…Two kits?" Oswald asked with a frown.

"Wah kiffen duh?"

Opening an eye to look to the goggle toting silverhead, the elder man muttered before taking the next sip of his tea "You really should stop talking with your maw full, pup."

* * *

About ten minutes later, Zero looked up as the backdoor opened. "'Ey Sis."

"Ohayo," the blunette said with a nod, before turning to the man. "So… what was so important you had to call me out, Riaku?"

Smiling at that, the old man, Riaku, opened his eyes, having seemed asleep with his arms crossed along the seat. "Zienna, sorry for this. Although with all that happened, sorry to not have said how well you have grown since you and pup traveled together."

"Forget it," Zienna said simply, dropping down on a seat silently. "What's up?"

"Heh, well," the old 'man' said, nodding as he looked to her. "I wanted, for a formal challenge request, one a bit different than your preferences…"

Blinking at that, TJ looked to Riaku a bit confused "Challenge?"

"…Let me guess, you want a fight against Shin."

"I have always wondered since Pup heard of Shin's grandfather whom would best who…So, looks like the forces gave me my chance to see," He grinned out coolly, giving a pleasant and soft chuckle in his breath as he shut his eyes. "Indeed, pup and me, against yourself and Shin."

"Gah, hey I got a say in this don' I?" TJ growled out quickly.

Opening his eye to peek to the silverhead, the figure smirked out "You wouldn't want this challenge then?"

"…well…"

"…Fine by me," Zienna said simply.

"Heh, I can hardly wait," was Riaku's response, him and TJ both sharing a small grin of excitement. Getting up, the old man began to make his way towards the back window. "But, let's hold off, till the boy is 'officially' released. I am sure him and the other kit would love to see this come to pass…"

"Heh, been ages since cha an me had a…eh whaddya mean by official ol fox?" TJ muttered, looking over quickly as he recalled "An wha cha meant by 'kits' earlier?"

Not responding to the question, the figure waved, before becoming engulfed in flames, which zipped through the window without a trace.

"…I really hate when he shows off…"

Zienna and Zero merely chuckled.

* * *

**Riaku is copyrighted to TJ Shonen.**


	20. Chapter 19 Route to Diamond City

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 19: The Route to Diamond**

* * *

It took almost 3 days for Hiiro to be officially released, and the two kids celebrated that by going to the Crescent Forest to hunt for Deva's replacement. Which gave the adults plenty of time for more 'important issues', such as the fight between Riaku and Shin.

The result of that, though, was not what people would have expected…

* * *

_Guh…heheheh…_ Shin chuckled, panting for breath, his Trainer doing the same as he looked across the arena to his opponent.

Giving a slight shake of his head to focus it clear again, the Ninetails smirked up, just if not a little more out of it than Shin, but he seemed just as pleased with things nonetheless. "Hehe, well. Not bad for a young mon…"

_Heh… you're not bad yourself, old man,_ Shin quipped casually.

"Man…been a long time since I got ta see pa Riaku get serious…" TJ sighed out, but grinned, wiping some sweat from his brow, the numerous blasts of the old fox's flames rather making the arena feel like a furnace. "Ey, Z, Shin, thanks for this."

"Heheh, I should be saying that to you, mate," Zienna said simply, wiping the sweat from her own forehead.

"PAPA!"

Blinking at that in surprise, TJ turned just in time to yelp as his daughter came crashing into him, sitting on his midsection from her flying leap into him. "OOOF! Nargh…hey Kitten."

Hiiro laughed as he ran down the invisible bridge of Zienna's Gym with Eevee right behind him. "Seriously, Kets, just because I can run for longer periods of time doesn't mean you should start dashing."

Zienna merely chuckled at those words.

"Best way to get you learnen to dash too, Hiiry," the girl grinned out, quickly nodding to her father and the Ninetails as the old fox approached. "You guys do okays?"

"Heh, it was fun." Riaku smirked, looking back to Shin with a nod. "We're about an even match, but was good."

Shin merely chuckled.

"Really? Cool," Hiiro said with a smile as Eevee bounced on his feet with a happy yip.

Nodding herself, though seeming a little disappointed, the girl oh'ed quickly, reaching for her belt as she pulled out a Pokéball. "Wait till you see my new partner!"

Zienna rotated her shoulder before reaching into her pocket and walking over. "Before that…"

Blinking as she fumbled to grab the capture device, Ketlin looked up, her father looking up along the floor curiously to the blunette curiously. "Eh?"

Silently, the Gym Leader pulled out her hand and held it out to the two Trainers. In her hand rested four badges, two of them shaped as white suns, and the other two shaped into black crescent moons, which also had 8 curved moonrays coming from it. However, only the white suns had a pin on the back, as well as a small indent in the center.

Hiiro stared for a moment, before he smiled and reached out, picking up one sun and one moon from the woman. Looking at them for a moment, he seemed to think a few seconds before he brought the two together.

Seeing that, the girl's grin broadened, taking two of the badges herself.

***click***

Hearing the click, Ketlin glanced to Hiiro, before mimicking the motion with her own badges.

Upon doing so, the two Trainers had a full badge in their hands, the black rays of the moon fitting exactly between the white rays of the sun. A mixture of light and darkness; the Double Light Badge.

Grinning as she hopped up, tossing the badge in the air, Ketlin called out as it began to fall "Badge!" With a twist, she caught it in her fist, her usual victorious pose. "Get!"

Hiiro chuckled, lightly tossing the badge up. As he caught it, he pulled his cap down and sideways to leave only one eye visible, holding the badge between two fingers and flashing a V-sign.

Rather than say anything himself, though, Eevee wagged his tail, then got into position and gave a small victory-howl.

"Aha see that's how you do it, even Eevee gets it!" Ketlin giggled out broadly to the boy, poking his ribs as she did so.

"Gah! Watch the sides!" Hiiro laughed out.

Shin merely smirked at that, while Zienna briefly shook her head with a small smile.

Dusting himself off as he got up, TJ chuckled at his daughters antics, blinking a little not too surprised that the Ninetails had vanished while everyone's attention was elsewhere. "Heh…"

Hiiro merely smiled as he tucked his badge into his badge case, placing it back in his pocket.

"So… do tell," Zienna said finally. "Who did you find?"

Blinking as though someone gave her a wake up splash, the girl nodded, quickly pulling up the Pokéball as she gave it a toss in the air. "Right, Common out Juvia!"

"Juvia?" the silverhead blinked out.

As the flash of light shot out, a small Pokémon formed from the beam. It was female to say one thing, barely a foot in height, with a small semi-pudgy body of a slight beige color, the lower half looking like a purple diaper over her little feet with the arms to her side. A slightly round, squished head above that, the same purple, with a big set of dark blue/black colored eyes, lightly blond princess cut hair like style with little ends sticking up like bows. A definite noticeable feature which added to her type class, a large full set of pink lips which smiled broadly as she formed - right on Hiiro's shoulder as she hugged the boy's head with a sudden kiss. "Smooch smooch!"

"Gah! Hey, get off!" Hiiro yelped in slight surprise at being smooched so suddenly by the tiny Pokémon.

"Hmm… a Smoochum… interesting…" Zienna murmured.

"I'll say, thought cha were looken for a new Ghost type, let alone an cryokenetic," TJ said a bit himself, raising an eyebrow at the girl in slight confusion.

"Well, yeah," Ketlin muttered, reaching up to pull her new Pokémon, Juvia, from the boy's shoulder. Tucking the little kissing Pokémon in a holding hug, she shrugged. "But there aren't alotta Ghost types I'd like here on the island, if any…sides the annoying ones." She growled, before giggling. "Sides I like Juvia here she's cute an I think she's got somethen to her."

_You mean besides the small crush on Hiiro?_ Shin chuckled out.

"Not funny…" Hiiro grumbled, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand.

"Heh, relax kid. Cha used tha PokéDex on her type yet? It's how they see wha things're like, like how cha'd feel like a glass or wall," TJ chuckled, giving the boy's shoulder a pat. "Jus means she likes how cha feel hehe."

Giggling herself, Ketlin grinned to the boy. "Sides you didn't mind to much at the smoochies in the forest she gave ya either."

"Well yeah, but that was before YOU did the same thing!"

As the boy said that, Hiiro felt the girl's father's grip tighten a bit on his shoulder. "Eeh…heh…wha was tha Hiiro?"

"Ask her yourself," Hiiro grumbled.

Shrugging simply, the girl in question quickly retorted "Just seeing what Juvia likes on Hiiry is all."

"Still don't get why you had to do it like THAT."

"That's how she checks."

Zienna merely chuckled softly, shaking her head a little.

"Ugh, Juvia's gonna be an influence," TJ grumbled, rubbing his temples as the kids argued a bit.

"Hiiry."

"What?"

Without warning, the girl quickly leaned over, her new Psychic/Ice type hopping up to match, Ketlin and Juvia gave Hiiro a sudden kiss to his cheeks from both sides. "Double sweet kiss it's super effectives!"

"Smoochum smooch!"

"Gak!"

Rubbing his face more, the silverhead's head hung low. "A real bad influence…"

Zienna instantly burst out laughing, and even Shin nearly dropped to the floor laughing, though he saved his ass by hovering.

* * *

"Okay… let's double check… if I'm not mistaking… Diamond should be dead ahead from this point," Hiiro quipped from the shoreline, before he folded up the map.

"Looks it" TJ nodded, patting the boys shoulder as he gave the last look over the inflatable raft with a smile. "Tha'll do it, with Quagsire an Cora we should be set with Water types now."

"And I don't haveta get Mera, mew though she's probably gonna be pouty, she had alotta fun swimming to Crystal," Ketlin called over, stuffing some items into her father's bag.

"Heh… well, we gotta give others some fun, too, right?" Hiiro quipped, climbing into the raft as Quagsire hopped into the water and swam through one of the 'leashes' that would let her pull it.

Giving a whistle, the girl's Corsola scurried over, splashing down into the water besides Quagsire happily swimming about as Ketlin climbed in with her father "All sets!"

"To Diamond number one, engage" TJ smirked out, pointing a bit authoritatively ahead with a nod, to the boy.

Although Hiiro didn't get what TJ said entirely, he merely shook it off and turned ahead. "And off we go!" he called out, which was the signal the two Water types had been waiting for.

With a chorused cry, the duo began to swim as fast as they could for the shore of the main continent.

Giving a excited yelp as the raft lurched, Ketlin toppled into the boy's back, pumping her fist as they sailed off. "Yahoo! Times like this I wish I had Kamina with us still!"

Chuckling himself, TJ leaned back into the raft, reaching for his bag as he began to search it blindly, before smiling as he pulled out his fishing rod, tossing a line behind them. "Heh, easy kit, try saven tha energy for when we get there."

Hiiro laughed as he rested on his stomach, watching the two Pokémon swim with a smile. "Heheh…"

Looking at that, Ketlin smiled, flopping along next to the boy, propping her chin atop her knuckles. 'You feeling how happy they are Hiiry?' the boy heard, though, it wasn't his ears that did the hearing.

Hiiro looked at Ketlin from the corner of his eyes, before looking ahead again. 'Yeah… they seem to be having fun.'

'Why shouldn't they? They have their dear friends with them, enjoying their element as they go along to a new adventure.' Ketlin smiled, crossing her arms and laying her head along them, using them as pillows now, a dreamy expression crossing her face. 'Being on an adventure with your sacred treasure, there's always smiles and laughs no matter how hard it gets.'

'Hmhmm…' Hiiro remained silent, watching the Pokémon swimming onward.

Ketlin looked a bit to the boy, before turning her gaze upward, a slight frown growing on her face. As she retorted, Hiiro could make out a slight pained tone to her 'voice'. 'Just hope Deva comes back soon…I don't want her to miss all the adventures we're gonna be having…'

At that, Hiiro glanced over, before he gave a small sigh. 'I don't know where she went… but I do know that she'll be back, eventually. You said so yourself, didn't you?'

Looking at him, the young Shonen mentally chuckled. 'Yeah, I know…just feels a little less fun I guess without her. Was hard enough when I last saw Netta, even with all our fighting.'

'She'll be back soon, I'm sure,' Hiiro said with a smile, before rolling over onto his back, looking up to the sky.

'Yeah, you're right. Then we'll just have to make up for the missed adventures then,' she smiled out, nuzzling her face into the nook of her arms, starting to breathe steadily.

Hiiro smiled a bit, and was about to shut his eyes… only to snap his eyes open as he stared up in surprise.

"Holy! TJ! Ketlin! Look!" he cried out, pointing up.

The Shonens shot up at that, looking ahead as the boy signaled for them in a mix of alert surprise. "Huh?"

High above them, a single bird flew over, its wings beating slowly, and yet its body did not dip down once, staying high up in the air. In fact, despite being so high up, it was still easy to determine what Pokémon it was without pulling out the PokéDex. Its long tail trailed behind it, and as it passed over them, a rainbow began to appear in the sky.

"Whao!" TJ called up in surprise, smiling at the sight with a broad grin. "Ho-Oh!"

Grinning at that herself, the girl gave Hiiro's side a pat. "Hey this is good luck for ya, Hiiry!"

"How's it good luck for just me?"

"Somethen I told her," TJ called over with a small chuckle, quickly taking some snapshots of the scene above them. "Told her for Trainers on their first journey ta see a legendary bird like tha's a good sign to their future."

"Ah…"

Shrugging, the girl folded her hands behind her head with a grin. "Lucky anyways right?"

"Guess so," Hiiro murmured, looking up to the large bird for a moment once more.

Ho-Oh just kept flying at its own pace, not seeming to be aware of the Trainers it had just passed over, which would not have been so surprising. Still, it took almost 10 minutes for the Trainers to lose sight of it.

"…We sure run into a lot of legendaries, huh?" Hiiro murmured after a while.

"Maybe it's fate," TJ shrugged out, packing up his camera as he did

"Thought you didn't believe in that, papa," Ketlin said, giving the silverhead a side glance.

"Meh, I'm kinda fifty-fifty these days."

Hiiro said nothing to that as he sat up and looked ahead of them.

Shaking her head to her father, the girl looked over to boy, before shrugging as she rolled to her back, calling to Hiiro's mind again. 'What's up?'

'Nothing much. Just thinking about the Diamond Gym… apparently it's not in the actual city but in the lagoon about 50 feet away from the edge of the city. According to the site, at least.'

'So? You can't swim?'

'Thankfully, I can… I just wonder what the gimmick will be…'

'Who knows,' was the girl's remark, a mental shrug as her eyes began to droop. 'So long as we give our A-game, we'll be fine though.'

'Heh.'

* * *

While the trip to Diamond wasn't as long as the trip to Crystal, it was still pretty long. But finally, they made it back to the main island, at the docks of Diamond.

"Well, here we are…"

If Crystal City was big, Diamond City was huge. It was the capital of the Gem Archipelago for a reason, after all. However, despite its size, there were many trees and plants placed around, giving the city a slightly friendlier appearance. There were at least five shops in every street, and two hotels/apartment buildings every 60 feet.

All in all, the city was definitely huge.

Hopping onto the dock quickly, the young Shonen grinned, looking to her Pokémon happily. "Heh, know you wanna swim some more but you need a break from the work out, good job girls," Ketlin smiled, returning her Corsola to her Pokéball as she glanced around. "Mew, kinda like your cities more an more, Hiiry."

"Wait till you see the city at night," Hiiro laughed as he and TJ pulled the raft to shore, as Quagsire hope up as well. "The city glitters like diamonds in the moonlight."

"That why they call it Diamond?"

"Yep. Oh, by the way, we might have to get earplugs for during the night; this city NEVER sleeps."

"…That it doesn't."

Blinking in surprise, the silverhead glanced over quickly. "Eh?

Hiiro blinked and looked over. "Rachel?"

The green-blue haired girl merely watched them silently, arms crossed over her chest, with her Espeon right by her side.

"We keep running into the same people all the time huh…" Ketlin blinked out in surprise, looking the girl over with a small nod. "Um hiya again."

"Well when cha on a journey through a region some peeps like goen through Gym Towns regardless…" the father muttered out simply.

"Perhaps…" Rachel mumbled.

Hiiro cocked his head a little, but said nothing right away.

"…though I'm missing more an more the more talky peeps we meet," Ketlin grumbled with a sigh, earning a slight glance from her father. "What?"

"…You just got here?" Rachel asked solemnly.

"Yeah… why?"

"…Oh." Rachel sighed in annoyance as she blew her bangs away. "Never mind then," she said, unfolding her arm and beginning to walk away.

"Hey wait a minute!" Hiiro called out, hurrying to catch up. "What's the deal?"

Rushing after with a small yelp of surprise, the girl chased after Hiiro with TJ following soon after, who was sluggish a bit from keeping an eye on the boy's Water/Ground type. "Yeah what is it? You make it seem like we did something wrong heres."

"Nothing…" Rachel said as Quagsire walked over curiously. "I'm just looking for someone…"

"You could always ask if we saw them ya know," Ketlin grumbled, frowning a little as she sighed out. "Seriously some people are too stubern to not ask for help it's weird…"

Rachel was silent for a moment. "…I doubt you saw him, anyway…"

"Well, nothing ventured nothing gained, right?" Hiiro quipped.

"They're right," TJ added, nodding as he shrugged. "Wha's tha harm in asken?"

The girl was silent for a moment, before she sighed. "…Fine, have it your way," she grumbled, before turning to the group. "I'm looking for a guy called 'Nick'. He's got red hair and usually wears purple. Some people around here nicknamed him 'Phones', because of the headphones he always wears…"

Frowning at that, the young Shonen crossed her arms shaking her head. "No, but don't have to act all grumpy on it. We wanted to know so we could try and see if we could help you know?"

"…Do what you want," she said simply, and turned around to walk away. However, after a moment, she paused and turned back to them. "One thing though… he hates people." With that said, she walked away.

"…Say wha…?"

"…So he acts like a scorned legend huh?" Ketlin murmured, before shaking her head with a shrug. "Well guess he won't be hard to find if we do get close right?"

Shaking his head at that, the silverhead nodded ahead. "Common let's stop by tha center, can do a lill sightseeing on tha way."

"Alright."

* * *

The route to the center wasn't that long, but it did get them by several dozen shops. Of which over half of them were glass sculpture shops, and a quarter were jewelry shops.

"Man, guessen tha minen around here's grade A-rceus round here," the silverhead muttered a bit, glancing to a far set of shops they had passed. "Haven seen this many crystalline sculptures an jewelry in…don think ever."

"The mining is actually performed in Opal," Hiiro said. "Diamond has the actual sculptors and jewelers. And since mining in Opal didn't start until a few years ago, there's still plenty of gems in the mines there."

"Oh, still, hm maybe I'll have a lookit one of these sculptors then," TJ mused, before his daughter quickly grabbed him and Hiiro's sleeves tugging them quickly. "Wak!"

"Quicky checky first then sight sees!"

Hiiro only laughed as he hurried after.

* * *

After a quick visit to the center, the trio was once again walking through the streets of Diamond, occasionally stopping in front of some shops, walking inside every now and then. As they went, they kept their eyes open for the boy that Rachel had mentioned, too, but with that, they'd had little luck.

"Mew, wonder why that guy she looken for so negatives," Ketlin muttered, linking her hands behind her head as she looked to the sky in thought. "This place is so full of pretty things, hard to picture someone grumpy in an artsy island like this."

"I'm sure he has a reason…" Hiiro murmured, looking down at several crystal sculptures of different types of Pokémon.

"Different strokes for different folks Kitten, it happens," the girl's father retorted, tilting his head at a particular Pokémon sculpture of an Onyx with a frown muttering "Think I knew this one's model…"

Hiiro hummed a little, before moving further ahead - and paused. "Hey… that's…" he murmured, looking up to the massive tower that stood before them.

It had to be the biggest building in the city, roughly 50 floors high, if not more. The lower floors were bigger, and the ascending floors were thinner, possibly to not stress the lower floors too much.

"Whao, you gemers sure like your buildings big huh Hiiry…"

"Heh… c'mon! You two gotta see this!" he said, hurrying to the building.

"Gah, Hiiro try 'n take it easy cha heart still needs adjusten time!" TJ hollered out, quickly chasing after the boy with his daughter sprinting ahead of him by mere steps.

* * *

Once inside, it became clear that the building had a large shopping mall on the first few floors, while the upper floors were probably apartment buildings.

"This is the 'Central Tower'. Highest building in the entire archipelago," Hiiro said.

Whistling to the sight, TJ chuckled a bit, slowly turning to take the full sight of the tower as best he could see. "Maaann…"

The young Shonen was just as awed at the sight, before blinking, her nose twitching as she began to sniff along the air. "Muuwrrmmnun?"

"…? Something wrong, Ketlin?"

The girl ignored, or at least didn't seem to notice, the question as her nose continued to smell at the air. With each deepening whiff, a Cheshire grin grew along her lips.

"Ketlin?"

"Naa…"

Blinking at the simple sounds from the girls lips, the silverhead's eyes went wide, quickly rushing forward to grab his daughter's shoulders. "Kitt don't!"

Too late though, as the girl was rushing forward, nearly dropping to the floor as she zipped for the nearest staircase, shouting simply "NANNAS!"

"The hell?" Hiiro mumbled.

"DON' JUMP!" TJ shouted quickly, though not quick enough, as the girl was in mid leap right for the rails of the stairs, as he smacked his face, covering his eyes "Can' look…"

Landing along the guard rails on all fours easily, a rather Meowth look to her as she did so, still grinning to the surprised onlookers, the girl spring boarded up, bounding between the rails and along the wall, quickly climbing her way up to the next set of floors in nearly a blur of motions

"…what in the…"

Groaning behind his face, the silverhead sighed "Wha floor's tha food court on…?"

"Um… that would be the fifth floor."

"Ugh…elevator…" TJ groaned simply, starting to shuffle his way for the nearest one in a bit of embarrassment.

Hiiro blinked, but followed after.

* * *

Exiting the elevator in a slight hurry, TJ groaned a bit as the numerous meals hit his nose, but at the moment it was one rather fragrant scent caught his nose, and the sight of numerous people gawking around someone that got his attention. "Ugh…"

Hiiro blinked as he walked over. "What's wrong?"

Just as the boy asked that, something came flying from the center of the crowd, a yellow blur smacking down, landing on Hiiro's shoulder. A banana peel, and as the boy could make it out, as his gaze looked to the floor, there were a plethora of emptied cups, parfait cups and other peels scattering the floor an what not. "That…"

"Buh…?

Choosing to simply lead the boy over, TJ grumbled, making his way through the crowd, some cheering signs of encouragement, others murmuring of confusion and surprise. Finally through, the reason for the spectacle, Ketlin, was sitting along a table, surrounded by an absurd number of banana bunches and yellow, banana flavored parfait treats all around her. Which the girl was rapidly and greedily scarfing down at speeds that would make a Snorlax look on in envy. "Like I said…'that'"

"…I guess she likes bananas?" Hiiro murmured.

"Like Meowth an shiny coins," TJ groaned, rubbing his temples as his daughter blindly scarfed the fruity treats around her like there was no tomorrow. "She gets a whiff of em after a long time she goes inta a banana feeden frenzy…"

"How do we get her to stop it?"

"First rule, don go near her banana's or her teeth, she's got a nastier bite then a Grumble," TJ frowned out, sighing as he shook his head. "She'll have her fill…an pretty much go inta a fruit coma for a while."

"Dang…" Hiiro murmured.

Tapping one of the 'chug!' cheerers, TJ quickly asked for how much the girl had taken in, before sighing as he turned back to the boy. "Only about 34 all tagether…she'll be at it a bit more…"

"Ah…"

"Oh? Ketlin's having another 'banana feast'?" asked a casual voice from behind TJ.

Blinking in surprise, the silverhead turned around, quickly grinning out as he pat the boy's shoulder "Alex, good ta see cha again, kid. How cha doen?"

Alex allowed a small grin of his own. "I'm doing alright, sir. Just looking around the city to get my bearings. This tower alone is huge."

"Tell me bout it," TJ chuckled, and groaned just as quickly as the back of his head became the landing pad for a banana peel. "An yeah…tried stocking up so she wouldn' go Sharpedo again but…"

"Guess you didn't pack enough, huh?" Alex chuckled out, before he seemed to notice Hiiro. "Oh hey. Sorry 'bout that. I'm Alex," the boy said with a smile, holding out his hand.

Hiiro smiled and shook the boy's hand. "Hiiro. Nice to meet you."

"Ditto on that," the younger boy chuckled.

"They didn even last tha first half hour of tha trip over to tha islands," the father sighed out, watching his daughter gulp down the next cup of frozen banana treat. "An again I wonder if she's a Mankey in disguise…oh, right thanks for given Kit an me tha heads up on cha know who."

"Ah, don't mention it. I'm really hoping he's not here, though," Alex grumbled. "This place is too good for the likes of him."

"Bottom of a dumpster's too good for em," TJ grumbled, quickly pulling the boys down a bit to dodge another banana peel. "Heard cha took on my ol pal Zienna, too."

"Zienna? Oh, yeah, I did. She was hard," Alex admitted. "If she didn't make me pull out Resh, I prolly would've lost."

Smiling, the silverhead gave an understanding nod. "Heh tell me about it, gave me 'n Riaku a hard fight too, though we only managed a tie."

Hiiro allowed a small smile, before looking back to Ketlin in worry. More specifically, the empty cups and plates. "…Um… who's going to pay for all of that, though?"

"Tha upside ta how we travel; we generally have money saved so…" Glancing over, a 'sorry we're closed' sign caught the father's eye as he chuckled, a little embarrassed. "We sure made tha food stand's owners happy…"

"No kidding…" Alex murmured.

Hiiro was silent for a moment, before looking to TJ. "You think she'll stay out of a coma for long enough for me to show her one more thing?"

"Erm…depends," TJ murmured, frowning as he began to scrunch up his brows. "I can kinda stop her…but it makes her hissy for a bit…"

"How come?"

Shutting his eyes, which were crunched up in focus, TJ brought his hand up, his thumb tucked along his index finger, as if a coin or small pebble was resting there, tensing to flick hard at it. "Cha'll see in…" Before he finished, he flicked his thumb.

As her father did that, in the middle of her next parfait, the bottom of the cup the girl was drinking from suddenly 'popped' a hole, with Ketlin giving a gurgled yelp as though something hit her as she fell off from the table. "Ouch!"

"Eh?"

"Nice shot," Alex said simply.

Rubbing his forehead, the silverhead groaned. "Ugh, still hurts ta do tha without gloves…"

Growling as she got up, looking along the crowd, the girl quickly made her way over with a furious glare. "What's the big ideas! I was eaten nannas!…Oh hey Lexicons."

"Hello, Ketlin," Alex quipped with a wave. "And I think your new friend wanted to show you something before you snacked yourself into a coma."

"Coma?" was the girl's response, looking confused, shaking it away, she turned to Hiiro obviously more curious about what he had to show, though that didn't stop her from munching away a banana she still held onto. "Mufhs mahf?"

"Well, I wanted to show you something on the rooftop," Hiiro said. "I'd explain, but it'd take away the surprise."

Gulping the fruit down, the girl grinned out, quickly tucking some more of her banana treats under her arm while snagging the boy's wrist with the other tugging him along. "What are we waiting for thens!"

"Gah, use tha stairs an elevators like they're meant ta be used this time, kitten!"

"Ketlin, we'll need to use the elevator! This place has over 50 floors and not everyone has so much energy!" Alex laughed out.

Sighing as they were seemingly ignored, the silverhead shook his head looking to the boy beside him. "Honestly one day I'll figure where she gets it all from…"

Alex merely laughed. "If you want, I can help pay for the treats she had," he offered.

Shaking his head, TJ shrugged. "Naw, business at tha ranches home been doen good, specially with Ryo-chan's Poké'train system getten some notice. Should have enough for this lill…attack…"

* * *

"Okay, rooftop, here we are," Hiiro quipped as they stepped out of the elevator.

Hopping out quickly, still munching away at some more of the banana bunches, the girl blinked through her expanding cheeks to look around "Mur?"

As they approached the railing, it became obvious you could oversea the entire city from that point. The elevator was the only thing on the roof that could obstruct the view, and several flowerbeds scattered around. And needless to say, the view was impressive. The buildings were all a pure white color, and most of the sides were made out of glass, so the light reflected off of them at frequent intervals.

Gulping away her snack, the young adventuress muttered out, looking to the boy beside her curiously "It's pretty but what am I looken for?"

Rather than answer, Hiiro put his hands on her shoulders, turned her around 45 degrees and then put his hands on side of her head to turn it around. "That."

Just as he said that, Ketlin noticed what he had meant; she was now looking past the massive mountain that rested in the center of the island, Mt. Ruby, and was faced with an absolutely gargantuan tree. Even from the distance between it and the mountain, it towered over Mt. Ruby like a giant. It had no visible bark; the trunk seemed to be made solely out of green. And even in the daylight, it seemed to shine brightly.

Dumbfounded for some moments, the girl finally let her mouth agape, though only briefly before taking a banana bite after exclaiming. "Wows!"

"Tha'sa big'a berry bush…" TJ murmured himself, looking in awe at the sight. "Tha thing's huge!"

Alex whistled as he walked over, too. "I saw it on the way over, but seeing it like this… wow."

"That's the Tree of Victory," Hiiro said with a small smile, leaning forward on the railing. "Trainers who completed all the Gym Challenges go there to try and make their way to the Nova Plateau on top to challenge the Five Representatives."

Blinking at that from her chomp along her fruit snack, the girl raised arched an eyebrow to the boy curiously "Wait…that's where your elites are? The top of a tree?"

"Yep."

"…That's gonna be a loooong climb…" Alex murmured.

Looking to the tree a few moments, the Shonens said nothing, though, the daughter had quite a grin growing on her face at the victory trees reflection glinting in her eyes

Hiiro turned to her with a small smile, before he blinked and looked past her curiously. "…? …Hey, TJ, is that…?" he asked, pointing.

Standing on the opposite end on the roof, was another boy around Hiiro's age, with spiked, red mane, dressed in a dark purple shirt and lighter purple pants. A large set of purple headphones covered his ears, and his music-player dangled from a string as he leaned forward on the railing.

"Hm, looks like our guy alright…wha was his name again?"

"Nick, right? Or 'Phones', to some people."

Nodding, the silverhead held a hand by his mouth, quickly calling over "YO! 'PHONES'! Over'ere!"

At those words, the boy briefly tilted his head their way… and then turned right back to staring across the city without a word.

Though, just as the redhead did so, a yellow batch of fruit skin ended up landing atop his scalp "HEY WE'RE TALKING WITH YOU NICKLES!"

"…" The boy merely reached up and wiped the fruit from his hair. He didn't even bother to look that time.

"…oookaaay…" Alex frowned in thought. "What's with him?"

"Gonna give him an aunty treatment…" the girl growled out, quickly hurrying over after stuffing the unpeeled banana in her mouth, chomping it away quickly.

"Ugh this won' end well…" TJ murmured

"Aunty treatment?" Hiiro questioned.

"Ol' family friend, like a sister. Aunt ta her…basically she's plannen to set somethen of Nick's on fire…while wearen it," TJ winced.

"Oh boy… that's not good…"

Quickly pat-tapping at the carrot top's shoulder, Ketlin growled out "HEEEEY!"

"…"

Growing a deep growl, the young Shonen blinked, smirking as she eyed the boy's headset, before clenching her fist tightly. Without warning, an ear shattering feedback shot out of the headphones, which was loud enough to disturb the group by the elevators still

"GIAH!" TJ yelped, quickly gritting his teeth as he clamped his hands on his lobes in defense. "Forgot she could do tha!"

"Gyaaah!" the three other boys howled out, two of them covering their ears and the other removing the headphones quickly.

Grinning broadly, Ketlin gave a simple and slightly cheerful wave as Nick near ripped his headset off. "Hiya, friend of yas been looking for you Nickles. She musta been looking all over the island or somethen it looked like."

Rather than answer, though, the boy looked at her with a look on his face that was almost dead. He didn't show any emotions at all, the only sign he could feel them that he'd shown was the pain in his ears a few seconds ago. After several long moments though…

"…I don't have friends."

"…with a face like that I could believe it."

Growling at his daughter's antics, TJ quickly pulled her back, nodding. "Gomen…but a girl was looken for cha we told her we'd keep our eyes peeled…"

"…whatever," the boy mumbled, turning away and putting his headphones back on.

"I'll do it again" Ketlin growled in warning

"Ketlin, that's not going to help," Alex sighed out.

"Neithers him acting less alive than a corpse," was the girl's remark, giving an irritated sigh as her father quickly popped a banana in her mouth, which seem to pacify her mood for the moment.

"Look, Rachel said she was looken for cha least cha could do is see why might be news for cha know, Nick," the silverhead grumbled trying to get the boy to respond.

"…I don't care," Nick said simply. "I don't get people… never have, never will."

With the fruit finished off, Ketlin's mood returned, which lead to her fingertips snipping at the redhead's arm in a vice like pinch.

"Ow!" the boy hissed out, stepping away from Ketlin.

"Hm, nope, you're not a bie," the girl said simply, crossing her arms behind her head again as she tilted to the side, looking Nick over a bit curiously. "So, what is it. You the biggest kinda coward there is then Nickles?"

"…" The boy had nothing to say to that.

"Kitten…" TJ grumbled, giving a warning tone in his voice.

"Seriously, the only things ever that don't have friends are zombies or the cowards who are too scared to live. And bies don't feel pain," the girl went on, not paying mind to her father as she narrowed her expression to the boy in question. "Fine, you don't wanna get peoples, your choice, but if all ya gonna do is mope around like a ton of bricks on a roof to look at the air, then it wouldn't kill you to go see one girl whose looken for ya to see what she wants, get it over with, tell her 'fine leave me alone' and go back to doing jack."

"…" Nick remained silent for a moment, before he reached out and briefly rubbed his shoulder with his eyes shut. "…Are you done? Then leave me alone," was all he said as he walked away to another railing.

"Mrrr if I had Kamina here with me his pants would already be smoken…" the girl hissed out chomping off another bite of banana…and spitting a bit as she ejected the skin in the process of the bite. "Bleh, waxy"

"Ugh, kitten," TJ sighed out, rubbing his temples at his daughter. "Cha not maken things better…"

"Neithers him, seriously I know tons of dead people who act a dozen times more lively than him…heck all of them are dozens more already…"

Hiiro was silent, watching the boy for a few moments, seeming to think, before looking around them for a moment longer. He cocked his head briefly in thought, before he blinked and walked over to where Nick was now leaning against the railing.

"Buh? Hey, Hiiro, what's up?" Alex called out.

Looking to the two boys in question, Ketlin ate away her fruit, silently watching Hiiro as he went besides the redhead. "…"

The brunette watched Nick for a moment, before moving to lean against the railing as well. Nick made no objections, most likely because he didn't care either way, or maybe just because it was too much of a hassle.

"Wha is…" TJ murmured

"…Kinda high up, huh?" Hiiro mumbled softly.

"…"

"…Yanno, I wouldn't do it if I was you," he added, and those words actually made Nick tense briefly. "Dunno why you'd want to, but it's just a waste if you ask me."

"…"

"Though, don't let me tell you what to do. Do whatever you like," Hiiro quipped, shrugging briefly before he walked back to the others.

Blinking at that, TJ narrowed his eyes, looking to the boy in a small bit of alarm, turning to Hiiro questioningly.

"…What?" Hiiro asked with an innocent blink.

"…sharp Kiddo…" was all the silverhead said, shaking it off, blinking as his daughter began to wobble where she stood.

Shaking it off for the moment, Ketlin finished her next bite of her banana, looking over to the redhead. "Hey Nickles, if you think…mew, if you think I can be annoyen to ya now, you do it, I can be worse. I can promise you that!"

"…" Nick didn't respond. Not that anyone had really expected him to.

"…Well, shall we get back down? We have some more exploring to do, after all," Hiiro quipped.

"Sounds good," the father muttered, quickly adding in a quiet voice for the two boys to hear only "Sides she's jus about hit her limit…"

As her father whispered, the girl in question began to sway/walk her way over to the redhead, munching away almost mechanically slow on the banana in her hand as she yawned to it, raising her free arm back as she got close. "Sides…it's crowded…that is…"

"ERK! KITTEN DON'T CHA DARE PUNCH EM!"

Seemingly ignoring the shout, or at least sleepily not hearing it, Ketlin's arm went forward, just past Nick's ear, with a loud yelp of something being hit as she yawned again. "Way…too crowded that side…really annoyens," she murmured, slowly shuffling her way back to the elevator…while the Gastly she just punched between the eyes wobbled through the air in a daze away from the redhead's shoulder

Nick watched it for a moment, before turning away once more, not seeming to care in the least.

Alex watched her for a moment, before he walked over and held out his hand. "You okay, Ket?"

"Shhure," the girl responded, with a slight loopy side grin, just before she fell right into the boy, snoring gently as she did.

Alex laughed softly, moving the girl around and pulling her onto his back, linking his arms around her legs as he stood up. "Well, she's out for the count. What say we head out, eh?"

"Okay… we may as well look up Rachel and tell her we found him," Hiiro quipped, nodding to the unresponsive redhead.

"Sounds best," TJ sighed out, looking a bit worriedly towards Nick, no less so as the Gastly managed to shake itself back to consciousness as it faded from view. "…common" the silverhead nodded, starting to punch in for the elevator again.

* * *

Once back at the Pokémon Center, Hiiro sipped his drink quietly, looking to Ketlin. "So… how long will she be out?"

"Well…" the girl's father sighed, looking to the ceiling as his fingers twirled a pen between them as if on their own, thinking as he counted something with his lips. "…probably while longer, give it…maybe thirty minutes more tops?"

"Ah, kay," Hiiro murmured.

Alex was silent for a little longer, munching on a sandwich as he looked over the map of the Gem Archipelago. He was moving his finger across the preferred route, seeming to consider the options he had. "Hmm… say, Hiiro?"

"Yeah?"

"Most of the island is covered in lush greenery… but what's with this desert area?"

"The Opal Desert? Oh, that's what we call the 'abandoned lot'," Hiiro said.

Raising an eyebrow, looking to the boy questioningly the silverhead nodded "'Abandoned lot'?"

"About 300 years ago, the place was as lush as the rest of the Archipelago. The people in the forests there worshipped Celebi and considered him to be their guardian sent by Arceus himself," Hiiro explained. "However, at one point, Celebi left, probably jumped through time, and ever since then, the woods died, leaving behind the desert it is today. Despite that, it took about 150 years before the entire civilization disbanded as well. Since then, it's been abandoned by men, and we have come to call it the 'abandoned lot'."

"Wow…" Alex murmured. "So… there's ruins there?"

"Somewhere under the sand, yeah."

"Hmhmm… …Guess we'll be seeing Cynthia around here, one of these days."

"Hm…I wonder if…" TJ murmured for a moment, before shaking it off. "Tha's soon on our route?"

"After Opal, yeah," Hiiro said with a nod. "There's a tram that runs through it to the foot of Mt. Ruby, though, so we can choose to take that or take the 'long way'."

"…I'm not sure which I'd prefer…" Alex murmured. "I'd like to see those ruins… but…"

"Ditto myself, Kitten would be interested to herself a bit…specially if…"

"If what?" asked a solemn voice.

Hiiro blinked and looked up over the back of his seat. "Oh hey."

A bit taken back, the silverhead glanced over, shaking the thought aside before nodding "Um hello Rachel, we kinda found cha friend."

"…He's not my friend…" Rachel said simply, grabbing a chair and taking a seat, her Espeon plopping down on the ground next to him. "I was just asked to look out for that idiot."

"That's not very nice," Alex mumbled.

"Jeez is everyone on this patch of tha gems this 'sunny disposition'?" TJ grumbled with a dark frown growing. "Listen we found him at tha tower's rooftop."

"…and you just LEFT him there?" Rachel demanded suddenly, leaping up to her feet in an instant.

"Hey whoa, easy there!" Hiiro called out. "I don't think he's gonna jump, yanno?"

"Why not! Wouldn't be the first time he tried…"

"Besides not else we could do, nothen we said got him to budge from there…an tha's tha kinda info cha shoulda told us about!" TJ snarled, crossing his arms. "Seriously we tried to help cha but cha weren exactly open for it either if cha neglected this kinda info!"

Rachel sighed heavily as she dropped back down. "Ch… I didn't ask for help."

"Sactly tha point…" the Shonen father retorted quickly, narrowing his eyes at the girl. "An wha woulda happened anyway, cha wouldn't have a clue right now where he is still at tha least we gave cha tha heads up where ta find him to drag him wherever cha were asked to get him to. No offense, but so far, it sounds like cha don really give a damn wha tha kid does…"

"…Meeru," Rachel said suddenly, causing one of her Pokéballs to burst open.

The Pokémon appearing before them was a large, blue bird-like Pokémon with wings that resembled clouds and two long feathers coming from the top of its head; an Altaria.

"Alt!"

"Central Tower. Move."

Without another word, the Altaria gave an affirmative and scampered out of the center, taking off once it was outside almost instantly.

"…Wow…" Hiiro murmured.

"Well, she's been well-trained," Alex quipped.

Watching the Pokémon fly off, the silverhead turned back after she had left, looking her trainer over a bit silently

"…What?" Rachel demanded simply.

"…nothen," TJ said, shaking it off as he watched his daughter sleep, keeping whatever was bothering him the moment to himself silently

"I think he's just a little surprised at your way of showing you're actually worried sick 'bout Nick," Hiiro quipped, after sipping his drink, causing Rachel to flinch in surprise.

"Wh-who said I was worried? Why should I be worried 'bout such an idiot anyway?

"Oh, I don't know… I was thinking that maybe he might have been a friend at some point and just suddenly shut you out or something."

"There was nothing sudden about it! …Erk!"

"Oh so you WERE friends once?" Hiiro asked with a small smirk.

"Nrgh…" the silverhead sighed out, looking over to the girl with a frown "Then it shouldn be cha Pokémon seeing to him, it should be cha…"

Rachel frowned at TJ before she crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. "Like that would help… he stopped listening to me and nothing I do gets his attention anymore."

"Normally…" was the adult's response, before sighing as he looked to the ceiling, "I wouldn't advise my daughter's style of things but smacken him when he acts stupid helps…tha kid goes around acten like he's got no one with suicidal acts no less?…Fact he had a Ghost type shadowen him didn help tha looks of things…"

"You think I didn't try that?" Rachel demanded. "Eventually, he stopped responding to that as well! Ch…" Giving a sigh to get that out of her system, she mumbled: "Wasn't even his fault… so why's he going on like that anyway?"

"Not his fault?" Alex quipped curiously.

"Cha an him have this much in common I can tell, asken for help ain't in cha. Jus spill wha happened already."

"…If you asked him and he were to answer… he'd say he killed his best friend."

At those words, Hiiro nearly choked on his drink and Alex looked at her strangely. "Excuse me…?"

Looking just as shocked, if not more so, the silverhead narrowed his eyes, after getting them back in place in their sockets again before nodding. "Um…go on?"

Rachel sighed heavily. "Kid was bitten by a Sharpedo out by the shore while trying to get that idiot's ball. He didn't survive the blood loss and died on the way to the hospital."

"…But how does he think…?"

"Because he asked him to go get it since he couldn't swim himself."

"…damn…" Alex murmured.

"Je…eez…?" TJ began to sigh out, but quickly seem caught off by something, looking to the floor as his head began to turn a bit.

Hiiro blinked, looking to TJ, before glancing along with Alex.

"…Oh er sorry," TJ muttered, quickly shaking the thought away. "Nothen…"

"You sure?" Hiiro asked.

"Well…maybe," the Shonen added a little, but from the look of it, whatever came to his head was still in the wind

"…Whatever," Rachel mumbled, getting to her feet. "I'm going." And with that said, she did just that; walked away and just left.

"…Well that was sudden," Alex murmured.

"Hope that guy figures out soon that it wasn't his fault…" Hiiro murmured. "Or at least find something worth living for, again…"

"I jus hope Ketlin doesn remember all tha…" TJ murmured, looking the girl over as she turned over with a sleepy snort.

* * *

**Nick is based off of "Sakuraba Neku" from "The World Ends With You".**


	21. Chapter 20 Diamond Lagoon

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 20: The Diamond Lagoon**

* * *

The Diamond Lagoon was located about a mile outside of the city borders and the place was practically flooded. The trees that stood scattered around formed a natural maze within the lagoon, making it difficult to tell just where you were going. On the plus side; there were plenty of Pokémon hiding around.

"Kind of strange that they don't sell maps of the Lagoon…" Alex quipped as he followed the others.

"Well, I guess that's the gimmick for this Gym," Hiiro quipped. "We have to find it without the help of a map."

"Tends to be how it can be in a Pokémon journey, jus cha, cha Pokémon, friends and cha wits against tha world," TJ chuckled out, shrugging a bit…just before a rather hard berry dropped on his scalp. Wincing at it, the silverhead grumbled, rubbing the spot as he looked up. "An potassium overloads…"

"Hehehe! I love this place!" Ketlin practically hollered across the trees, which she was perched in on a branch, for a moment only though before she leapt to the next tree ahead of the group, grinning like a cat Pokémon as she did so.

"Well… Ketlin's in her element, I see…" Alex chuckled out.

"I noticed…"

"Ugh an tha banana coma after effect's not helpen tha's for sure…"

* * *

As they progressed through the lagoon, avoiding the deeper parts of the water, they passed by several Venonat that quickly scattered upon spotting them, as well as numerous Caterpie and Weedle that were happily munching on the leaves.

However, there were also Vulpix, strangely enough, considering the surrounding area, and Growlithe, which were a little more territorial.

"Gah…haven had this much trouble with canine types since Tom an me were in trainen with tha Jenny triplets," TJ grumbled, quickly dropping several red poffins to pacify the fire dogs as they bared their fangs.

"Well, we ARE in their territory, so it's no wonder they're being vicious," Hiiro quipped.

No sooner had he said that, though, or a pained yowl echoed out through the lagoon from ahead of them.

"That sounded like a Vulpix," Alex murmured, before they started hurrying toward the sound.

"Can top tha I know a Vulpix when I hear one!" the father growled out, rushing with the two boys, giving a slight glance to the tree lines which had gone quiet moments ago. "Kitten hurry up with tha!"

Before long, they ended up at a small clearing - where they stopped dead upon what they saw.

A small Vulpix whined and cried out as it tried to free its paw from some sort of trap, blood coming from where the sharp jaws had dug into its flesh. And watching the small Pokémon was none other than a Team Aether admin.

His long, white-blonde hair hung down his back and easily reached his tailbone while his bangs hung down to his chin. The mask he wore covered only his right eye, leaving the other dark gray eye visible, however, it also arched to his ears, covering them up and spiking back in a set of sharp ears that had to be at least a good 10 inches in length. The last thing worth mentioning was that his coat only had a "neck" at the side of his neck, not obstructing his hair in any way, and his sleeves were actually fitted with gloves that appeared to be sown into them.

Snarling, the silverhead's fingers clenched tightly into fists along the bands of his sack as he glared to the admin. "OIY! BACK THA HELL OFF!"

The admin did not respond to the call, though one of the 'ears' of his mask seemed to twitch at the shout. For a moment, he stood, before he moved forward toward the Vulpix.

Just as he did though, the admin's vision got blocked, as he got a face full of a certain 'masked girl's' boot, before she managed to spiral and land in a crouch between him and the fire fox. "Back off!"

The admin looked at the small girl for a moment, barely affected by the kick, before he tilted his head, his only visible eye half shut as though he were almost asleep. "…cute. But I'm afraid…" he said as he brought up his hand. "That you're in the way."

With those words, he snapped his fingers and instantly, the girl was catapulted sideways and skidding along the ground.

"GAH!"

"What the? H-how did he?" Hiiro choked out.

Not waiting to answer as he dropped his bag, the father bull rushed right for the Admin. As his bag hit the ground TJ's Gligar, Arcanine and Scizor burst out, the Ground/Flying type rushing over on his Trainer's back while the other two went for the girl and Vulpix.

However, the admin snapped his fingers again, and the rushing Trainer and Pokémon were stopped in their tracks and sent flying backwards just as fast as Ketlin/Kamen Trainer had been.

Yowling at the sudden force, TJ managed to tumble back to his feet, Oni and Tom knocked out of it for the moment as Katana tried to shake his head clear himself. "Nrgh…that…"

However, the admin merely stopped before the Vulpix and stood for a moment as the small Pokémon moved over to try and bite its paw off. After a moment longer, the admin crouched down.

"…Hold still," he said simply, reaching forward and placing his hands on the jaws of the trap. Without a single sign of pain, he pulled sideways, opening the trap enough for the Vulpix to yank its paw loose with a yip. The moment it had, the admin retracted his own hands, barely avoiding getting his fingers chomped off. "Nasty buggers…" he mumbled softly, before he reached for the Vulpix's paw. "Hm… not so bad… thankfully." Reaching into his pocket, he produced a small red handkerchief and wrapped it around the wound. "There we go."

The Vulpix blinked a few times, before it gave a happy yip, bouncing on its feet before hurrying off, tails wagging behind it.

"…buh?" Alex murmured in confusion as the admin rose to his feet and dusted off his knees.

Looking to that, the silverhead calmed, for the moment, eyeing the admin warily. Keeping his gaze on him, TJ went over, carefully getting his two unconscious Pokémon to stir again before tending to his costumed daughter. "Hey…Kamen…"

"Nurgh…I'm kicken that bus driver's head in…"

Alex watched for a moment, before he asked: "What did you do that for?"

"Hm?" The man turned his head almost lazily at that. "Should I not have?"

"Frankly cha 'associates' in cha group would hardly show kindness," TJ growled out, helping the girl to her feet, and keeping her from charging the masked man again for 'round two'.

"Is that so?" the man asked, before he merely shrugged his shoulders. "Well, then I suppose I will be off then… but before that…"

Snapping his fingers one more time, the trap burst apart into bits of metal, unusable.

"There. Well then, bye-bye," he said with a small, cheeky smile and turned to walk away.

"…Do Nitira and Maeryn know this is what you do for a living?" Hiiro called out after suddenly, making the man pause.

"Eh…?" Alex blinked, looking to Hiiro. "What do they have to do with…?"

Blinking a bit herself, Ketlin, or Kamen Trainer, looked to the boy, before her eyes went wide hidden by her mask, turning quickly to the Aether admin's back in shock.

For a moment, the man stood like that, before he turned halfway to Hiiro with a small, lazy smirk. "You're sharp, boy… what's your name?"

"It's Hiiro."

"Charming…" the man crooned, turning fully. "I am Zero Topaz. Plain Topaz for those who care," he said simply, moving some of his bangs aside. "Perhaps we'll meet again." And with those words, he spun around and walked away without another word.

Watching where he had left, staying rather strong in where she stood, Ketlin finally sighed as 'Topaz' was gone, slumping to the ground as she held her head. "Meeww…some Ghost type…"

Alex looked over to Ketlin and crouched down. "You okay, Ketlin?"

Tugging her mask and hoodie off, the girl growled, leaning back along the ground as she looked to the trees. "My pride hurts more than anything right now all, Lexicon…"

Hiiro sighed a little as he adjusted his bag. "Well… either way… we got nowhere… that's for sure… …huh?" Blinking, Hiiro walked a little further ahead and moved some bushes aside. "…Is this a mini shrine or something?"

Blinking himself, TJ moved over quickly, giving a nod "Yeah, tha looks like tha one my grandparents used to have for Riaku before…" he murmured, kneeling down along the small 'shrine'.

It was a bit like a house or such, more fit for a doll, with a back, side walls and angled roof. Within, were several small shelves, a few dried leafs and such scattered mostly by the wind inside, but within the middle, the centerpiece was a smooth warn stone, shaped a bit like that of the fire fox Pokémon, some inscriptions along each of the tails, or what remained of them, one of which was 'coiling' at a cup. More accurately, a small vat for a candle or incense to be burned within

"Huh… interesting…" Hiiro murmured.

"Very… this is the first time I've seen one like this…" Alex added.

"They're…old…no one really gives praise ta tha fox types anymore," the silverhead shrugged out.

Coming over, snapping her shoulder a little with a groan, the young Shonen nodded. "Yeah, except great grampy and granny"

Hiiro hummed in thought. "Question is, what's it doing here?"

"No clue…"

"You have to make an offering!" came a chipper voice, making the group turn around in surprise.

"Hey… you're…" Hiiro started, pointing to the boy black haired boy that he and Ketlin had met in Sapphire.

"Hm?" Blinking as he saw their faces, the boy smiled brightly "Hey, it's you guys! I thought you looked familiar!" Holding out his hand, he said "I'm Sephiran, but everyone calls me Sephy! Nice to meet you."

Quickly pulling out a blanket to cover herself, from where was anyone's guess, the young Shonen gave a nod to the boy. "Um. Hi's."

Hiiro blinked, before he smiled at Ketlin and turned to Sephy. "Nice to meet you, too. I'm Hiiro," he said as he shook the boy's hand.

Alex stepped up next and shook the slightly shorter boy's hand. "Alex. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm TJ, tha's my daughter Ketlin," the silverhead nodded, eyeing the shrine a bit curiously. "Offeren huh…"

"Yep. Once you give it an offering, its guardian will show up and lead you to the Gym," Sephy said with a small nod.

"Really? Huh… interesting gimmick…" Hiiro murmured.

"Got just the thing!" Ketlin grinned out, fishing around under her blanket, before pulling her de-gloved hand out, dropping several poffins onto the bowl like notch along the statue's tail. "No Fire types can resist my burning spirit poffins!"

Hiiro and Alex laughed, before both delved into their own pockets. Hiiro soon produced a bottle of Berry Juice he'd gotten from Zero before they had left Crystal behind. Alex, on the other hand, pulled out some sort of small bracelet, though it was too small to fit around a human's wrist, embedded with several dozen gems of dark red. He placed it on the edge of the tail's tip, next to Hiiro's Berry Juice.

Sephy watched with a small smile, before glancing around. "Well… I'm already done here, so I'm heading to the center for now. Good luck!" he called out, starting to hurry off.

"Tha was a bitta rushed…" the silverhead murmured, eyeing the shrine curiously humming in thought.

Suddenly, Sephy stopped running and spun around. "Oh! And you better be careful! Dad said there might be people out there who can steal Pokémon with some sort of gauntlet. Watch your backs, ok? Bye!" With that, the boy hurried off again.

"…How did he know about…?" Hiiro murmured.

"Steal… Pokémon…?" Alex choked out, eyes wide in disbelief.

Hearing that, the Shonens didn't look to pleased, if anything, they looked about ready to explode more than a Voltorb.

"His father is the Gym Leader of Topaz Town," came a calm, female voice from behind them.

"Guh!" Hiiro whipped around in surprise. "What the!"

Alex looked equally surprised. "Who…?"

Sitting beside the shrine was a slightly older woman somewhere around her late forties, with graying, red hair that was secured in a ponytail, which was segmented into multiple smaller ones, and solemn green eyes. She was dressed in some kind of kimono, which looked very classy, and she was sipping from the very bottle Hiiro had set down in the shrine.

"Nice look," TJ responded casually, crossing his arms with a nod. "Enjoyen cha drink?"

"Very, thank you very much," the woman spoke politely.

Sighing a bit, Ketlin dropped the blanket, starting to put her full costume again, looking the woman over with a nod. "Um…was that Vulpix before…"

"Hmm… great-great grandchild, if I'm not mistaking," she said solemnly, before she took a small bite from the poffin Ketlin had left her.

"…So, you're the…?" Alex started slowly.

"Guardian. Correct."

"Don't think I've ever meet another Ninetails like grampa…" Ketlin mused, tilting her head a bit curiously as she looked the guardian over.

Hiiro hummed in thought. "Soo… when you're done, could you show us the way to the Gym?"

"If you wish, sure."

"Be nice if you pleasey," the girl grinned, rubbing her head a bit, giving her mask an adjustment as she did with a grumble. "Merrr…"

* * *

Once the guardian had finished her 'snack', she kept her word and guided them through the lagoon silently. Before long, the trees made way for a clearing, and somewhere in the distance, they could see the top of a small tower jutting out from ahead of them.

"Ah, there we go that's a lot better!" the masked girl grinned out, hopping down from a branch to the group once again. Turning to the guardian, the girl gave a deep grateful bow. "Thanks a lot!"

Before the guardian could respond, though, a shout came from ahead of them.

"Let go of me!"

Hiiro blinked in surprise. "…Wasn't that…?"

"That sounded like Nick, almost…" Alex murmured.

Before TJ or Ketlin could respond, though…

"Like hell I will!" another familiar voice bellowed, this one filled with a combination of anger and… something else. "I promised I'd watch and wait for you to get back to your senses, but I'm _sick_ of you acting like a damn abused Growlithe!"

"…! Pr-Prometheus?" Hiiro stammered out.

"The heck that creep? Gah whatever," Ketlin growled, quickly rushing for a tree, spring boarding from the trunk to the branches where she began to spring ahead for the source of the voices in a rush.

"Erk! Ketlin! Hold up!" Hiiro called out.

"Gah!" Giving a growl, the silverhead chased after, heading for his daughter's destination in a haste. "Common!"

* * *

Given the head start that Ketlin had, she reached her destination first. What she found there was a little surprising.

As they'd already established, the voices indeed belonged to Nick and Prometheus, the latter of which had what looked like a death grip on the redhead's wrist, who had dug his heels into the murky ground to try and pull himself loose. However, Prometheus was not about to let up, and the look on his face was more than a little annoyed.

"Stop acting like such a brat and move it!" the purple-haired youth shouted.

"No! Let go of me! I'm not going THERE!" Nick cried out, trying to pry Prometheus' fingers loose. "Leave me alone already! Let go!"

"SHUT UP!" Prometheus roared out suddenly, rearing back and abruptly punching Nick to his jaw, causing the other boy to stumble to the ground, and he would've fallen into the water if Prometheus hadn't held on, still.

Just as the redhead stumbled, a creak of wood snapping caught Prometheus ears, followed by the whistling of something flying right for him

"Huh?" Surprised at the sudden sound, Prometheus glanced to the side.

Just in time to see it, Prometheus' arm suddenly felt the high axe kick to his arm, as 'Kamen Trainer' came down hard to separate the two boys. "Back off!"

"Gah!" Prometheus yowled as the hit sent him backwards.

"!" Nick wasted no time and scrambled to his feet, rushing away as fast as his feet could carry him. And that was pretty fast.

"NO! DAMMIT! NICKOLAS!" Prometheus howled out in rage and made to rush after the boy.

Just as he began to run, the masked girl leapt up, using the purple haired boy's back as a springboard to launch herself to the trees again, where she vanished shadowing after the running redhead.

"Argh!" Prometheus snarled in anger as the girl bounced off his back. "Damn you…!"

"Tha seven hells is goen on here!" came the girl's fathers voice, skidding to a halt looking to the boy in a mix of confusion and irritation. "Wha jus happened here?"

Prometheus glared at TJ as he rubbed his arm. "Your brat just got in the way of something she shouldn't have!" he snarled, before dashing after Ketlin and Nick without another word.

"Dammit… what the hell?" Hiiro gasped out. "How're we supposed to keep up with that!"

"…I will go ahead," the guardian murmured and rushed ahead as a burst of red flames.

"…Anyone up for a ride on Resh?" Alex asked finally.

"Tha would turn alotta heads, Alex…though…" TJ began, obviously a bit distracted by the thought of an up close inspection of the legendary fire dragon.

"…I might have a better idea that would turn a little less heads," Hiiro offered.

"Er…oh erm yeah. Let's go with Hiiro's idea…"

"Alright," Alex consented with a nod.

"Okay… Ray? You mind?" Hiiro asked, looking to one of his Pokéballs.

Blinking, shaking off the disappointed tone in his voice from missing his chance with the dragon, the silverhead murmured "Ray? Who's Ray?"

**If I must,** a solemn voice echoed through their heads, before the ball burst open and the scarred Mewtwo Hiiro and Ketlin had met in the Crescent Forest appeared before them.

"Wow!" Alex exclaimed. "I didn't know you had a Mewtwo!"

"This is news ta me tha's for sure, Hiiro when tha heck did…"

"How 'bout we catch up to the others first, huh?" Hiiro asked, just before they were suddenly lifted off the ground and Ray kicked off from the ground, 'dragging' the three humans with him.

"Whooooooooooaaaaaa!" Alex yowled out, before he laughed in slight excitement. "Wow! This is so cool!"

"Gah! Warning please!" TJ yelped, straightening out to look around as they zipped through the air, sliding his goggles down as they did so. "Kitten wha tha heck are…"

* * *

Nick leapt over another fallen branch, barely stopping to catch his breath as he dashed for the exit of the lagoon. He was obviously not about to be caught, though the question was whether or not he could hold out for long enough to make it out.

However, as Nick made to pass another tree, a set of legs came down, quickly wrapping around from behind him, pinning his elbows down as a sudden weight fell solely on his back. "Hold it!"

"Ah!" Nick yelped out as the force sent him skidding face first into the ground, his headphones being knocked off from the hit, though they, or his music player, thankfully didn't fall into the water.

Clamping her hands down on the boy's shoulder to keep him pinned, Ketlin, or rather her costumed persona, gave him a warning look as she growled out "What is your deal with that boy and why are you running from him?"

"G-get off of me!" Nick shouted out instead of answering, trying to wriggle away from under the girl's weight, but the awkward positioning didn't allow him to.

"I suggest keeping your voice down or else he will hear and find you and if he does, I'm not helping… " the girl growled back, blinking a bit as she looked to him, almost as if just realizing who he was. "…"

The boy refused to answer, though, and kept trying to get away, groaning from the strain this put on his arms.

"…He's taking you somewhere to get help, isn't he…?"

"Urgh… j… just… get off of me…"

The girl's eyes narrowed darkly, looking so hard at the back of the boy's head, if one didn't know, that red head of his would have been the fire her gaze was putting on him. "…You're pathetic…killer"

The second she said the last word, Nick froze up. And while she couldn't see his face, it wasn't hard to guess that he must've looked both shocked and horrified.

"You wanna deny having people who care about you, fine…" she began still, steadily and coldly as her lip sneered bitterly. "You wanna turn your back to the living around you who want you to live and say you are with no one. Fine. You wanna take the blame for killing someone dear to you, FINE." She growled the last part, her hand quickly grabbing the back of his head to turn up to see her better. "Then don't you in Arceus name DARE not take responsibility for it you idiotic little brat!"

The boy said nothing; he couldn't. The girl's words had struck home, apparently, and it left Nick completely motionless on the ground.

Still with her glare, releasing his head for the moment to make sure she kept him pinned again, she went on, a bit softly but the anger still boiling within. "Look around you, this is wild and nature around us. A Meowth eats a Ratatta, why? Cause it wants to live, so it hunts an eats that mouse. Then what does it do after its taken that life? It does that, it lives. It lives for itself and the life it took, too," she growled, before sighing shaking her head, turning to him again. "If you did have any love in your heart for your lost friend…if you wanna take the blame for taking the years he had away…Then man up to it, and LIVE for the both of you, otherwise you're shirking that duty away and making his soul miserable looking at the life you both lost from that day…"

"…"

* * *

"Well… there's Ketlin and Nick…" Alex murmured from where they hovered in midair. "But what is she…?"

**…It seems she's trying to get him to open his eyes to what he's done,** Ray said solemnly.

Looking down, TJ pulled his goggles up, his own expression a bit saddened at the sight, knowing full well what the girl was saying, in some way, by her body language alone. "…she's tellen him ta take his 'responsibility'…"

"How?" Hiiro questioned.

Looking to the boys, the father said nothing, before slowly turning his gaze down again to his daughter. "…she understands life an death differently than we do…"

Alex and Hiiro shared a glance, before looking back down as well.

* * *

Ketlin made sure to stay put, watching the boy for some time silently. After a time though, she eased off from his back, pulling Nick to sit up against her, the masked girl's gloved hands wrapping around him from behind as she leaned her chin down on his shoulder, her mouth moving in a whisper only he could hear

Nick remained deathly silent, and refused to move even an inch, but as they staid like that, a single drop of water landed on Ketlin's arm.

However, that moment lasted for only a few seconds, and suddenly, Nick leapt back up, snatched his headphones from the ground and ran.

"Ugh…brat," the girl murmured, quickly getting on her feet to chase

But before she could, a several fire-red tails blocked her way. "Enough."

Upon looking over, Ketlin found herself looking at a dark black Ninetails, but her tails and the 'fur' on top her head were the color of fire, while her eyes were a solemn green hue.

"…why are you getting in my way…?"

"Your words will not reach him now," the Ninetails said softly, just as Ray landed on the ground, lightly setting down the three other Trainers as well. "There is an unspoken rule when comes to that child; never mention what happened on "that day", for it drags him into memories and allows him no escape."

"…Isn't there a way to…?" Hiiro started.

"Give him a little time… that is all."

"Getting escapes is where he's got the problem," Ketlin spat our bitterly, looking to where the boy vanished to.

"…" Alex was silent for a moment, before looking around. "Funny… where'd that other guy go?"

"Hmm… I suspect he got a little held up," the Ninetails said solemnly.

Looking to the Ninetails, the silverhead nodded, looking a little irritated and worried. "What do cha mean by tha…"

"Oh, nothing serious." The Pokémon allowed a small, foxy grin. "Now then, shall we head to the Gym, now?"

Not responding with her words, the masked girl turned, heading back where they originally saw the tower. "If he doesn't take responsibility I'll permanently brand his face with rider kicks…"

Hiiro shook his head briefly as he walked after, not even looking up as Ray recalled himself to the Pokéball still on his belt.

Sighing, giving a nod to the vixen Pokémon, the father nodded, following after the two adventurers, giving Alex's shoulder a pat as they went murmuring. "Watch out for bad mood on this…"

"Yeah, I know…" Alex murmured, following after.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nick finally slowed down, almost at the edge of the lagoon. He panted and gasped for breath, putting one hand against the side of a tree and the other on his knee as he leaned forward in an attempt to get his breath back. For a long moment, he stayed like that, before he hissed in a combination of anger and sadness.

"…Why… why the hell do they keep doing that?" he hissed out, tears starting to trail down his cheeks. "I don't… want this… anymore…" he mumbled out. "I don't need them… I don't need anyone…"

"Quite annoying, isn't it?"

At that voice, Nick snapped his head up in surprise. Standing there, at the edge of the lagoon, watching him almost casually, was the Aether admin known as Zero Topaz, though of course, Nick couldn't know his name yet. The admin merely stood there for a long moment, a small, lazy smirk playing on his face.

"…what do you-"

"You know, as long as you still feel… you'll keep running into that annoyance," Topaz said simply, as though the boy hadn't spoken. When Nick blinked in surprise, Topaz continued. "Of course, it's possible to do something about that, but I can tell you don't like people forcing you to do stuff you don't want. So… I'll be off then."

With that, Topaz waved and began to walk away.

"…Wait!"

Topaz stopped midstep, and, without turning to Nick, a cold grin spread across his face, nearly splitting his face.

"…What… how do you… Can you make them stop?"

"That, I'm afraid, I'm not sure about," Topaz said, wiping the grin off his face as he turned to the boy. "But surely, I can do something about how you'll respond to their words."

"…how?"

"Simple, really," the man quipped, walking over to him. Nick would've walked back, but found that he had been backed up against a tree. Topaz stopped right in front of him and brought up one hand, before tapping the spot right above Nick's heart with a single finger. "We just lock up this little guy. That's all."

At those words, Nick actually paled, but Topaz was quick to speak up again before he could say anything.

"Oh, not permanently, mind you," the man said simply. "Just until you think you're ready to handle it again."

"…you can do that?"

"Of course."

Nick was silent for a few moments longer, his face indicating that he was actually considering what the man had told him. Topaz remained silent throughout the boy's thought process, seeming to wait for the boy to reach a decision, though anyone watching would realize soon that he knew very well what the answer would be.

"…how… how much is…?"

"Oh I'm afraid you can't just 'buy' this particular treatment… not at your age, anyway."

"…oh…" Nick murmured, actually seeming to deflate.

"But… how 'bout we make a deal?"

"…a deal?"

"That's right… if you promise to help us out with some of our chores, I'll make sure you can have the treatment."

"…what's the catch?"

"Catch? Heheh… Nothing. Like I said; all we need is your help in a few minor chores."

"…a…alright…"

Had Nick been paying actual attention, he might have noticed how Topaz's mouth twitched into a half grin for about a second, before he smiled lazily. "Great. Well, then, shall we?"

Nick nodded slowly and allowed Topaz to lead him off, not noticing the cold, icy smirk on the man's face.

* * *

**Topaz is copyrighted to me.  
**


	22. Chapter 21 Tetra of Diamond

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 21: Tetra of Diamond**

* * *

Upon arriving at the tower, they realized that it wasn't just a 'tower', but rather a clock tower. It was situated right in the center of a massive lake, and only a single strip of land connected the Gym to the mainland.

"Wow… interesting…" Alex murmured. "Is it possible to get here without bringing an offering?"

"No."

"Figures," Hiiro murmured as he walked forward.

Blinking a little, TJ looked over to the Ninetails curiously, giving a small chuckle. "Common, wise Pokémon like Ninetails should know…there's no such things as impossible though."

The Ninetails allowed a small smile, but said nothing as she walked onward.

Eventually, they walked into the Gym itself.

"…! Rachel!" Alex exclaimed in surprise.

Said girl looked over from where she was standing in the middle of the battlefield, before she went back to looking around the room. Scattered about the room were a total of 9 different people, each one cloaked to such a degree that you couldn't tell if they were male or female. In fact, you couldn't tell anything about them.

"Wha tha sarindipity?" TJ muttered, blinking out of it quickly as his daughter went ahead crossing her arms boldly looking to the group.

"Which is the Leader of the Gym…?"

Rachel didn't respond verbally and instead merely pointed over her shoulder.

Hiiro looked back and walked to the side of the doorway, reading the sign there.

"_'Find me amongst those who do not exist'_. …Huh. Interesting…"

"Greeeaaat… so we have to figure out which of these guys is real?" Alex grumbled, pulling his cap down a bit.

Rachel remained silent, moving a few steps every now and then, looking around at the different figures.

Gritting her teeth a bit, the masked girl gave a sigh, eyeing the figures where she stood as she crossed her arms. "…"

Hiiro, rather than look at the figures, gazed down to the ground. More precisely, to the massive gears that were placed in the ground, like a giant clockwork mechanism.

"…I can't tell which one is real…" Alex grumbled.

"…Challenger's just about figured it out," Ketlin retorted, not even glancing back to the boy, Hiiro, in question as he gazed to the gears.

"What is there to figure out?" Hiiro said simply. "Isn't it obvious?"

"…Eh?" Hiiro sighed a little, shaking his head solemnly at Alex's questioning gaze.

"Just spill already…"

"Why not ask the Gym Leader herself? Right, Rachel Tetra?"

"Say what?" Alex yelped out.

Rachel did not respond for a long time, before she actually chuckled. "Figures you'd notice right off the bat," she said, and turned to face the Trainers, her brown eyes gaining a red tint in the Gym's lighting as all the other figures burst apart into smoke.

"The site wasn't updated properly," Hiiro said simply, "so your first name wasn't on there. However, it's easy to say that you're no beginner like the rest of us. You've been at this business for quite a couple of years already, huh?" After a moment more, he allowed a small smirk of his own. "Plus, that tattoo on the back of your right hand gave you away."

Rachel merely allowed a small smirk, one that didn't fit with the character she had portrayed the previous times they'd met with the girl, as she pulled off her glove, revealing a black, star-shaped tattoo on the back of it, poised in a circle.

"So, you are the Gym Leader…" Ketlin said simply, eyeing the girl behind her mask.

"Bingo," Rachel said simply, lightly lifting her foot - before slamming it down on the ground.

In an instant, there was the groan of metal sliding across metal, and the gears in the floor shuddered, before starting to spin, nearly sending the three challengers off their feet. Rachel, however, used the gears' rotations to reach her "side" of the battlefield with absolute ease.

"Oh man… this is gonna be difficult…" Hiiro murmured.

"Um… yanno what? I'll sit this one out for now," Alex said after a moment. "Three on one doesn't seem fair to me."

Growling as she steadied herself, the girl's father not much better actually being tossed off the field, not that he was intending to stay, she growled: "LEADER OF DIAMOND GYM, WE'RE HERE FOR YOUR BADGE!"

Rachel merely smirked icily, pulling out a single Pokéball. "The fight's already on," she said, before tossing the Pokéball into the ring.

The Pokémon that popped out from the Pokéball was a tall, almost human-like Pokémon with a white 'dress' and green hair; a Gardevoir.

"I've never actually seen that one before…" Hiiro murmured, pulling out his PokéDex.

"**_Gardevoir. An embrace Pokémon. It apparently does not feel the pull of gravity because it supports itself with psychic power. To protect its Trainer, it will expend all its psychic power to create a small black hole._**"

"A black hole? Seriously?" Hiiro mumbled in surprise.

"It sounds cooler than it looks sometimes," the girl growled, quickly whipping into a roundhouse, sending her Pokéball flying, releasing the girl's newly acquired Smoochum…which instead of the beam landing along the ground, zipped onto Hiiro's head, materializing in time to plant another of its namesake on the boy. "Urgh…Juviaaaa…"

"Gah! Would you cut that out?"

Alex allowed a small laugh at that.

Walking over quickly, the masked Trainer plucked the small Pokémon from the boy's shoulder, muttering out to her "I know he's fun to smooch but not now, we'll get him later."

"Smooch smoochum!"

Hiiro grumbled a little under his breath as he pulled out his own Pokéball. "Thanks a lot…" he mumbled, before tossing the Pokéball in the ring.

The Pokémon that came out, though, was one that two people in the room had not expected; it was a Pokémon they had already seen in Sapphire when facing the Gym Leader; a Xatu.

"They're goen Psychic against Psychic…" TJ muttered in small surprise, looking to the pair curiously. "What are…"

"Come on, Diamond Leader, send out your second teammate!"

"I don't need one," Rachel said simply, startling Hiiro. "This fight will be a two-on-one. Ira! Ikuze!"

The Gardevoir raised its hands casually, waving them through the air as a purple aura began to surround it, before smashing headlong into the two Pokémon.

Xatu didn't even make a sound and only tipped back and forth on his claws for a few moments.

Juvia wasn't better though, literally going into a backwards roll as she yelped in surprise, only just coming to a dizzied stop after a few moments. "Smoooo…"

"Gaaah." Kamen Trainer growled, shaking her, and by synch, her Smoochum's head as the Ice/Psychic type got up again. "Let's get right up an personal!"

Calling out a bit, the small smoochum began to run right for the Gardevoir, Ira, steadily gaining some speed

As the small Pokémon rushed the larger Psychic type, the silverhead's eyes went wide as something seem to cross his mind, worrying him visibly. "Not good…"

Alex blinked, looking to TJ. "What's wrong?"

"Natsu, Kamina, Kamiyu, Thorn, Mera…" the silverhead responded, listing all too familiar names to the boy's ear as he bit his thumbnail. "They have somethen Juvia doesn tha Ketlin's forgot ta count on!"

"What's that?

Just as the boy asked though, the girl and her Pokémon in question gave a yelp, as the Ice/Psychic type was literally skidding along the floor again, face first nearly bumping into the Gym Leader's Pokémon's leg before she stopped. "Smoooch…"

"Their Pokémon species aren' inclined ta be clumsy…"

"…Oh…"

While her Pokémon set herself right again, the girl in question had her hands gripping under her mask, hissing out as she rubbed it in pain. "Owowoowowow!"

"You okay, Kamen?" Hiiro asked.

"I've had ember blasts to my face that stung less!"

To make matter worse, though, the gear that Juvia was standing on gave a sudden spin.

"WAH!" the girl yelped in surprise, her Pokémon matching her motions and expression easily as the pair suddenly fell back with a start as the gear spun the Pokémon around.

"…This is gonna be a difficult one indeed…" Hiiro mumbled, looking to Ira, who was hovering about an inch above the gear, allowing her free movement without the gears on the ground restricting her. "Well… whatever."

After a moment, Hiiro brought up his hand and snapped his fingers. And the moment he did, Xatu's eyes flashed dark blue and a blast of Psychic energy hit Ira head-on, making the other Pokémon cry out in surprise.

Getting up again, the small purple Pokémon frowned up to the larger psychic type, starting to charge again, but just as before, Juvia tripped over from her constant bobbing trot. However, she managed to land on her stomach (a bit in help to her link with her trainer), which caused the wind to be knocked out of her…a wind littered with flakes of white right into Ira, which caused the small Smoochum to blink in surprise at herself. "Smoo?"

As the snow touched her, Ira gave a startled yelp. However, instead of waiting for another attack, she waved one arm, causing several large leafs to appear, which sliced through the air and into the two Pokémon.

"Smooch!" the small Pokémon yelped, tumbling over to try and cover herself from the glowing leafs that smacked into her and the Psychic bird.

Xatu didn't even bother to move as he was knocked back and forth, before his motions stopped.

"Hmm…" Hiiro thought for a moment, before he allowed a smirk and tapped his foot against the ground a few times.

And suddenly, Xatu spread his wings and clapped them powerfully, sending the Psychic/Flying type into the air.

Alex blinked. "That's a rare sight… Xatu usually don't bother to Fly…"

"They're up ta somethen then…" the older adventurer shot back, blinking a bit as some bits of snowflakes began to fall on his nose. "Wha tha…"

Whatever Hiiro and his Pokémon was up to, Kamen Trainer and her slightly clumsy based Pokémon were no different, as Juvia was releasing a stream of powder snow into the air, twirling a bit as she bobbed back and forth spreading it all around the battlefield.

Ira watched the two Pokémon for a moment, seeming to measure the threat they presented. Finally though, she turned to Juvia and released another Psychic blast.

Blowing a bit more of the snow to the blast, Juvia managed to tumble out of the way, as she began to stand again, the small purple Pokémon's flipper like hand swung, sending something right into the Gardevoir's face…an actual snowball, which caused the Smoochum to go into a small giggle fit. "Smoo smoo smoo."

Ira yelped in surprise, before reaching off with a huff, wiping the snow out of her face - right before getting a face full of Xatu's beak as the Flying/Psychic type came down, making her yowl in pain.

"Wow!" Alex called out. "That's what I call teamwork!"

The masked girl grinned, wheeling her arms a bit as Ira steadied from Xatu's attack. "Lock, Load…"

As the Gardevoir readied again, the Psychic type could see the small Ice/Psychic combined Pokémon, and the big holes within the snow covered field, which was packed into a rather amazing number of white powdered spheres beside her as she began to flail her arms mimicking her trainer, before snatching the first batch sending them flying. "SMOOCHUUUUUUM!""

Ira watched it for a moment, before she used Psywave to deflect the spheres almost easily - up until Xatu smashed into her back and sent her headfirst into one she hadn't stopped yet. Just as Ira hit though, it was just in time with a few other ones suddenly exploding with psychic energy from her Psywave, blasting her backwards again.

Xatu landed on the ground simply, and once again stood rooted to his spot.

Blinking at that, TJ looked to the small cheering Juvia before chuckling. "Ah, so tha's how she made those snowballs so fast, she covered some condensed confusion energy with snow

"Makes sense," Alex chuckled out.

The Gardevoir howled as she hit the ground, and then she stirred no more.

Trotting over quickly, the smoochum hurried over to her battle partner, quickly hugging onto the Xatu giving him a sudden kiss cheering happily. "Smoochum chum smoo!"

Of course, Xatu did not move an inch from his spot, though he did glance Juvia's way briefly, before looking over as Rachel recalled her Pokémon.

"Heh… not bad… but here's where things get tricky!" she cried out.

And no sooner had she said that, or the gears in the floor rose up suddenly, which was followed by several other gears being pushed toward those gears from the wall. They clicked into place and began to spin, much faster than before.

"Gah!" Ketlin yelped out, having to hold onto Hiiro, which was still mimicked by the girl's Pokémon to the boy's, growling as she looked to the gears that stumbled Juvia/her bitterly. "The heck?"

"This is a first… Gyms with gimmicks are normal… battlefields with gimmicks is a new one to me…" Hiiro mumbled in slight surprise, even as Xatu managed to stay rooted to his spot by using his talons.

Fortunately for Xatu's firm nature, Juvia kept herself from being knocked around again by using him as a base, but by the looks of it, the Ice/Psychic was worried the next upcoming Pokémon's attack.

Rachel was silent as she pulled out her next Pokéball, seeming to consider it, before she tossed it forward.

The Pokémon that popped out of it was another familiar one.

"Uh-oh!" Hiiro yelped as the newcomer stretched briefly, before grinning icily, managing to keep its balance on the gears easily before it rose properly and barked.

"Don't tell me your still worried cause of those dumb superstitious rumors about them are you…"

"No…but don't you get it! Absol is a Dark type and what types are our Pokémon?"

The girl looked to the boy for a few moments, even with her mask in the way, Hiiro could make out the irritated look Ketlin was giving him, before she promptly gave his forehead a small smack

"Ow!"

"A weaker element can still beat a stronger one, Challenger. You should have learned that back in Sapphire."

"I know, but it won't be ea-"

But before he could finish, the Absol was suddenly on the gear where Xatu and Smoochum were and smashed headlong into Xatu's side, making the bird yelp as he was flung sideways to smash into another gear, of which the spin in turn sent him skidding.

"…sy…" Hiiro finished, staring as the Absol then turned its attention to Juvia.

"Don't hesitate, Toiria! Ikuze!" Rachel shouted out.

And in an instant, the Dark type shot at Juvia.

Between losing her 'support brace' and the gears' constant motion, added to that the sudden shock as the Dark type came rushing at her, the Smoochum toppled back, landing on her back to look up to an Absol stomach blocked ceiling. "Smoo!"

Toiria easily adjusted his action and jumped aside, before swatting at Juvia with one paw, sending the smaller Pokémon flying through the air to land right on top of Xatu. Said Flying/Psychic type squawked as he had the wind knocked out of him… then stirred no more.

"Damn…" Hiiro murmured, bringing up his Pokéball. "Told you this wasn't easy…"

"Smooo…" the Ice/Psychic type whined, steadying herself up again as best she could looking wearily to the Absol. "Smoochuumm…"

Hiiro recalled Xatu and put two fingers to his temple in thought, unknowingly holding his other two fingers close together.

"Hmm…what's tha boy thinken of…" TJ muttered, watching as the Gym battle continued, now just waiting for the male challenger's second Pokémon.

Finally, though, Hiiro pulled out one Pokéball and tossed it forward. The Pokémon that appeared was his Ponyta, who yelped a bit when he noticed the gears he was on. However, after a moment, he whinnied and managed to stay standing.

Seeing the fire type, Juvia wasted no time, rushing, only stumbling into a set of hops the last steps along the way before clinging to the Ponyta's leg. "Smooch!"

Ponyta blinked curiously, looking back to Hiiro. The boy nodded, and Ponyta reached down, picking the smaller Pokémon up and tossing her on his back. Landing on her stomach again, Juvia released another powder snow attack, fortunately not hitting the Ponyta's neck, instead for an offside gears tooth, which crunched the bundle of snow a bit easily, but caused her and her Trainer to blink. "Smooch?"

Ponyta neighed briefly, kicking at the ground, and staring down the Absol.

Toiria merely smirked and kicked off from the ground to the Fire type

In response, Ponyta neighed and rushed forward, easily kicking off the gears, before meeting the Absol head on with a Headbutt. The duo leapt back after the hit, before they rushed forward.

Gripping onto the Ponyta's back with a yelp from the sudden rushing, Juvia looked wide-eyed at the Absol as they rushed for one another. Narrowing her gaze, the small ice/psychic took a breath, releasing a burst of snow for the dark types face and feet

Given how Toiria was running, the blast missed his feet, though it did strike his face, making him yelp as the snow was blown in its eyes. As he attempted to stop to get the water out, though, his paws slipped on the already molten snow.

Spotting his chance, Ponyta rushed forward and smashed into the Absol's side, sending him skidding backwards.

"That works," Hiiro laughed out.

"Yeah just wish we can hit him better with our attack…" Ketlin growled, before taking another deep breath

As she and her trainer took the breath, the Smoochum let out another blast of powdered snow, quickly spreading it around for knocked back the Absol

However, Toiria leapt up and dashed around the Ponyta, before kicking off and smashing into Juvia.

Yelping out, Juvia was sent flying, tumbling into one of the gaps of the gears teeth a bit groaning from the impact

"Nrgh…" Kamen Trainer hissed, blinking a bit before she quickly recalled her Pokémon as the gear turned. "She's out…"

"Damn…"

Shaking it off, the masked girl whipped around, sending her next Pokéball out with her roundhouse kick. From it, the Pokémon burst out, skidding beside the fire horse, growling as she spread her thorny arms "CACTURNE!"

Ponyta gave a small whinny as he kicked at the ground, glaring at Toiria as the Dark type grinned ferally.

"We need some flames going, Challenger."

"If you say so," Hiiro quipped, flexing his fingers and then clenching his hand, making his thumb pop in its socket.

The second he did, Ponyta neighed out a burst of fire, before rearing back on his hindlegs and smashing down with a powerful Fire Spin erupting from around him and toward Absol.

"…Wait a tick… is Hiiro doing what I think he's doing?" Alex asked with a small frown.

"It's…a possibility…when did he manage control so…" TJ murmured, narrowing his gaze to the boy curiously before the fight drew him back.

As the Fire Spin flew for the Absol, the dark type came with an added shock, as suddenly several red hot spines shot through the flames for it, courtesy of Thorns Pinmissile attack

Toiria yowled as he jumped away, but wasn't fast enough to avoid the barrage, making him yowl as he was sent smashing into Rachel's legs.

"Yes! That did it!"

Rachel bent down beside her Absol and lightly placed a hand on his neck, before she recalled him.

"Don't get to cocky, Challenger, that's just two down," the masked girl responded, eyeing the Gym Leader wearily as Thorn an her took a fighting stance for the next part.

Rachel stood for a moment, lost in thought, before she grabbing her last Pokéball - a Net Ball, to be precise. Without another word, she tossed it forward, just as another group of gears lowered down from the ceiling.

The Pokémon that appeared was a Scizor, much to the surprise of the two challengers.

"Wait…a Bug/Steel type?"

"All the times you've seen Kantar you just noticed their type?" Ketlin muttered a bit looking to the boy in slight confusion.

"That's not what I mean…" Hiiro sighed out. "I'm a little surprised in the fact that she'd call this one out when-…wait… what the?"

"What is…?" before she could finish, a familiar feeling crept up the small of her neck, looking over to the Scizor in surprise, her eyes wide behind her mask. "This Sizors is…"

Rather than respond, Rachel cried out: "Oshiichu! Ikuze!"

In an instant, the Bug/Steel type dashed forward at the Ponyta and Cacturne.

Ponyta let out a whinny and let loose a Flamethrower at the charging Pokémon. However Oshiichu spiraled out of way and clamped his pincer down on Thorn, before smashing her into Ponyta, sending the duo flying.

"TURNE!" the dark plant cried out, falling back over on the fire type with a growl, quickly steadying her arm again, Thorn let another barrage of Pinmissile fly from her arm aimed for the Steel/Bug type

However, the Pokémon snapped at the air and snagged each and every pin from the air, letting them drop to the ground harmlessly.

"He's fast…" Hiiro murmured, before snapping his fingers. Immediately, Ponyta got up and rushed toward Oshiichu.

Getting up herself, Thorn rushed alongside the fire horse, glaring at the Gym Leader's Pokémon as the spines along her arms began to glow with venom

The Scizor rushed right back at them, a small smirk playing on his face, diving aside from Thorn's attack, before snapping at Ponyta. However, the fire horse leapt aside and fired a burst of Ember at point blank. This caused the bug to screech out in surprise.

Whipping around as the Bug/Steel type screeched out, Thorn swung her arm at a wide arch, effectively giving a cloth's line-style poison sting to the small of Oshiichu's back

Oshiichu yowled in pain, sent flying from that move. However, just as he stopped, he split up into multiple versions of himself.

"Double Team, huh? Fun…" Hiiro mumbled.

Ketlin didn't give a vocal response, but instead jumped to the side, right in front of her team mate, bracing for something as her Cacturne leapt on the fire type's back

"Huh?" Hiiro blinked, frowning briefly.

"CAAAAAC-TUUURRRNE!" Thorn shouted out, spinning on her heel on Ponyta's back, releasing a massive barrage of Pinmissile…Everywhere.

"DUCK!" TJ shouted, quickly grabbing Alex as the silverhead dove for cover, avoiding a good dozen needles for the pair on the stands

"Gah!" Alex yelped.

Spinning to match her Pokémon, the masked girl managed somehow to kick away the pins that went flying for herself and Hiiro, only just barely as the boy caught a glimpse of the pins in the girl's boot.

Oshiichu barely managed to block all of the pins as his duplicates were dispersed one by one, though several of them still hit home. However, it barely seemed to bother him, as he merely glared at them. Snarling, he snapped his claws, as energy gathered into his pincers.

"Oh boy…" Hiiro mumbled, snapping his fingers again.

Just as Oshiichu fired the dual Hyper Beams, Ponyta released a flamethrower, the blast of fire barely blocking the two beams.

Stopping her Spin, Thorn aimed both of her arms directly for the beam alongside the fire horses flames, trying to add as much force as she could muster to help push the blast back "Tuuuurrrnee!"

"C'mon c'mon…!" Hiiro hissed out, his hand twitching briefly before letting out a cry and grabbing his head. "Ow! Dammit!"

"You okay, Hiiro?" Alex called out.

"I'm fine!" Hiiro grumbled, before shaking his head and focusing back on the fight.

Giving a small pat to the boy's back, the girl hissed herself, focusing again as she and Thorn tried to push as much power and speed into their Pinmissile for the Scizor's hyper beam attack

Ponyta kept up the flamethrower as well, but it was obvious that he couldn't possibly hold on for too long.

Hiiro frowned a little in thought, before sliding his foot a little to the side, before grabbing Ketlin and diving to the side just as Ponyta did the same, the Hyper Beams missing the two Pokémon (and their Trainers) by a hair.

"Grk, tha woulda stung…" Ketlin hissed out, dusting herself (and Thorn by synchronized proxy) glaring up before sending the Dark/Grass type right for the Scizor as his beams began to weaken. "Gotta keep moven!"

Hiiro nodded and as Ponyta rushed at the Scizor's side, just as the beams diminished entirely. Oshiichu's exhaustion gave them the opening they needed. Ponyta smashed his head into Oshiichu's side, sending the oversized bug flying towards Thorn.

Whipping her arms up, crossing them where her would be wrists should be located, Thorn smashed down on Oshiichu's head, releasing a final blast of Pinmissiles right down on the steel/bug type as he hit the ground

The Scizor let out a pained screech as he hit the ground, and stirred no more.

Rachel watched for a moment, before looking up to the ceiling as she recalled the Pokémon. Just then, a final gear lowered and clicked into place. And in the next moment, a bell's toll echoed through the room.

1…2…3…4…5…6.

When the bells echoed around, the Shonens yelped out, quickly grabbing the side of their heads to cover their ears at the sudden gongs going through their heads

Hiiro blinked, looking to Ketlin. "You okay?"

"You alright, sir?"Alex asked in turn of TJ.

"Sensitive hearing," the pair hissed out in unison, which startled Thorn, despite not actually hearing it, more from the fact the Dark/Grass type was no longer synched with her trainer without warning

Once the bell had finished, the gears ground to a halt, and retracted back to where they had come from.

"…Not bad," Rachel said simply, reaching into her pocket as she walked across the room.

"Nurgh…" the masked girl hissed, pulling herself back to her feet as Thorn walked over curiously "M'fine…"

As Rachel reached them, she brought out her hand and held it out to them. In her hand rested two badges, each adorned by a six different colors set in a spiral to mix together into a single glowing orb; the Fusion Badge.

"Heh…" The masked girl grinned, looking over to Hiiro, before taking her badge, flicking it through the air, before catching it again as she spun on her heels. "Badge-Get!"

Hiiro took the other badge as Ponyta walked over, flicking it up briefly to catch it between two fingers, pulling down his cap as he flashed a peace sign, as Ponyta kicked up on his hind legs and whinnied as his mane flared out a little.

"Heh, cha twos teamwork is starten ta look untouchable cha know tha?" TJ called over, chuckling as he nodded to the pair as Kamen recalled her own Pokémon after congratulating her works

Hiiro merely chuckled as he recalled Ponyta, before he turned to Rachel. "I wasn't aware you knew Prometheus."

At that, Rachel blinked, before she chuckled. "Oh you met tha grouch already?"

"Yep."

"Who's Prometheus?" Alex asked curiously.

"Like Rachel said…pretty much a grouch. we saw him a long whiles back with tha Scizor," the masked girl nodded out.

"Though he wasn't a Scizor back then," Hiiro chuckled out.

"Aha."

Rachel shook her head with a chuckle. "Heh. Well, if you see him back at the center… tell that grouch to put some ice on that bump on his head."

At those words, Hiiro blinked in surprise, before he let out a silent 'ah'. "Ah, THAT kind of hold up."

The girl grinned to that, before looking to the exit, muttering something for a moment before something dropped from her hoody…which was unfortunately some sort of smoke bomb that quickly burst apart covering the group in the mist

"Gahk kah! Dangit!" The silverhead choked out, glaring a bit to where his daughter had been moments prior

The other teens coughed for a moment, before two out of three chuckled and shook their heads.

"Well, shall we head back?" Hiiro asked.

"Okay," Alex said with a nod, turning to Rachel. "I hope you don't mind, but I'll come back for the challenge some other time."

"Suit yourself," Rachel said with a small shrug.

* * *

As Ketlin walked into the center, the first thing she heard was…

"Owowowowow! Dammit, that hurts!"

"Yes, yes… I do believe I've said several times already that no girl likes a pushy guy."

"Grrr… I'm NOT pushy!"

"Sure, kiddo… sure."

Blinking at the ruckus, Ketlin moved ahead quickly through the center, before finding the source, grumbling a bit to the sight of the pair. "Prome."

At that sudden voice, both of them looked over, one with annoyance, the other with slight amusement.

"Oh? Hello Ketlin. Looks like you just met swords with Rachel, hm?" Choras asked with a small chuckle.

Grumbling at that, The girl made her way to the front desk to leave her Pokémon to heal, before turning back quickly to the pair. "Twin hyper beams and an earful of bells wasn't fun…"

Choras allowed a small chuckle. "Well, that's what you get in an old clock tower."

Prometheus didn't bother joining the conversation, keeping an icepack pressed to his head, grumbling to himself.

"Oh yeah, Methus got a message for yas."

"Ugh… what?" the boy grumbled without looking at her.

"Never ever force Nick to come here against his will again you idiot" the girl said simply, though there was a big grin growing on her face

Prometheus glared at her from under his bangs, growling dangerously, though he stopped when he spotted Choras's own frown. "…ch."

Shaking his head a little, Choras turned to Ketlin. "So, are your father and your friend here as well?"

"Aw their such slowmoes they got left behind I guess" The girl grinned out, crossing her arms behind her head as she playfully stuck her tongue out. "They should be round here in a bit though."

Choras laughed softly, just as TJ, Alex and Hiiro walked into the center.

"Whew… well, that's number si-oh! Choras!" Hiiro called out in surprise when he spotted the man.

"Hey, kiddo," Choras said with a small nod.

TJ gave a greeting himself, sighing a bit as he rubbed at his hip a bit. "Ugh, dang tree root knots…"

Alex winced a little, before looking over to Choras. "Good day," he said after a moment with a small smile. "I'm Alex."

"Choras," the man said with a nod in return. "And the grump over there is Prometheus."

"Gimme a break…" Prometheus grumbled out.

Alex merely allowed a small chuckle, while Hiiro allowed a smirk.

Rolling his eyes, the silverhead gave a nod to his daughter with a slight grumble. "Can' cha ever sit still in deep dark mysterious like forests?"

"Nope"

Choras allowed a small smile of his own.

"…Hey, Choras? You know Zienna and Nitira, right?" Hiiro asked suddenly.

"Hm? Yes, why?" the man responded with his head cocked.

"Well… do you also know someone called 'Zero Topaz'?"

"Topaz?" Choras repeated with a frown. "Oh yes… I know HIM. Annoying bastard… He likes ticking off people whenever he can, yet he somehow manages to get out of trouble every time."

Hearing that, Ketlin let out a little hiss in response, obviously on the same terms as Choras was on the man's memory.

"I see… so that explains why he's with Aether…"

"Wait wait… what?" Choras called out, blinking in surprise. "Topaz… in AETHER? Are you sure?"

"Unfortunately" TJ grumbled out, crossing his arms with a frown

"No, no… that's not possible," Choras said with a shake of his head. "Topaz is a lot of things, but there is ONE thing he would NEVER do."

"And what's that?" Alex asked.

"He does not take orders from anyone."

"…There is someone who could order him around…" Prometheus grumbled.

"Hm? Who?" the girl blinked out, looking to the 'grump' curiously.

"Nitira," Choras and Prometheus said at the same time.

"Eh…? But… Nitira isn't with Aether," Hiiro said with a frown. "We know that for a fact."

"Yeah, the Aether jerks were asking her to join them," Ketlin nodded, before rubbing her knuckles. "She flattened them, specially when she saw they were kidnapping her nieces."

"Exactly… which makes it all the more confusing as to WHY Topaz would even consider joining them…" Choras murmured softly, rubbing his chin in thought.

TJ nodded, but stopped a bit, something obviously playing in his mind, before he looked the floor muttering "…they all wear masks…"

"I wonder what's up with that…" Alex murmured.

"…ta keep left from knowing what right's doing…"

"…huh?"

Blinking, the silverhead's daughter turned up to her father, looking at him like he had two heads. "Talk in something we understands papa…"

Looking up, shrugging a little with a sigh, TJ went on. "I don' wanna speak ill of Z or her family but…what if no one in Aether knows who each other is behind their masks…an wha if they handle their own parts of tha group differently?"

"So… you mean that everyone deals with different stuff and doesn't know what the others are doing?" Hiiro questioned.

"Well, think about it," TJ nodded, before counting off his fingers as he went on. "First time we meet them, these guys were jus preachen about bailen on Gem right? Next time was at tha cave, they were literally jus blowen tha slag out of it to find somethen. Then there's wha happened in Crystal where they were sneaky. An taday Topaz went ta help tha Vulpix stuck in tha trap. Each group we've meet

did things completely different from tha others we see"

"True…" Alex murmured. "But then who is giving them their orders to do whatever they do?"

"Donno tha much unfortunately," TJ sighed out, before waving it off, the matter at hand still pressing his mind. "But jus like if they each do different things each side, it's possible they don' know each other really behind their masks…I really don wanna say this but…what if Z-gal's sister is already in Aether…?"

"What?" Alex and Hiiro choked out, but Choras and Prometheus were silent to that statement.

"It's…jus a worse possible thing on tha matter, if she is tha only one this Topaz guy will listen to, an this logic plays out like I'm guessen…"

Frowning, seeming to get it a little, Ketlin murmured out "Then…the Aether guy didn't know she already was when he offered…"

"…Possibly…"

Hiiro looked over to Choras when the man spoke. "…But what is Nitira's motive?"

"…Who can say?" Choras said with a small shrug.

"…Let's jus save it as a what if for now…" the silverhead sighed, shaking his head as he pulled out some of his Pokéballs with a groan. "Either way tha guy knocked my Pokémon for a loop on their own an cha team needs fixen up too, Hiiro."

"Huh? Oh! Right!" Hiiro nodded and hurried over to the counter.

Choras allowed a small smile, before seemingly lost in thought. "…Prometheus?"

"…what?"

"…Aren't you forgetting something?"

"…" Prometheus was silent, blinking, before he rubbed his temples with the hand that wasn't holding the icepack to his head, clearly racking his brain for whatever Choras believed he'd forgotten.

"Hmm…" Ketlin muttered a bit to herself, before sighing, walking off to the side of the center. "Mur, need food."

Choras said nothing for a moment, before he asked: "On a side note; how much do you know of underwater shows around here?"

Alex blinked, but it was Hiiro who answered as he walked back. "Wasn't there a new one of those starting at Opal Town in a few days?"

"…oh SHIT!" Prometheus yowled and immediately leapt up and rushed out of the center, dropping the ice pack as he went.

And Choras merely laughed. "Works every time…"

"…Huh…?"

"Someone care ta explain ta us not locals?"

Choras chuckled. "Opal Town is more than a mining town; it's also an oasis, and it's famous for its variety in underwater shows." Smirking, he added: "And the kid clearly forgot he promised his mother that he would help her with the next one."

"Seriously?" Alex asked in slight surprise.

"His mums in tha production of these shows? Huh haven seen an underwater show before, water plays sure…"

Choras allowed a smile. "In that case, you'll probably enjoy it when you get there. …Though I would definitely advice you to watch out for Crow when you get there."

"Crow?" TJ blinked out curiously to that, yelping as a yellow object smacked into his head. "…aw dammit not again!"

Alex and Hiiro merely laughed, while Choras allowed a small chuckle.


	23. Chapter 22 Shadows of Heaven

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 22: Shadows of Heaven**

* * *

The darkness upon his entering the room was expected, the only light coming from the machines as the scientists in the room worked steadily. There were about half a dozen of them, maybe more, but Topaz had never really bothered to keep track of all of them. He didn't usually come here, either, but now he was drawn there by his curiosity, as limited as it was at times.

"And how is the boy doing?" he quipped casually.

"Progressing smoothly, sir," one of the scientists spoke up. "He should be done with the treatment in another hour."

"Hmm… very nice," Topaz quipped, looking past the monitors and to the large capsule-like object in the center of the room.

Placed upon it, was Nick, most of his clothes removed and several wires attached to his skin by round strips, and an oxygen mask covered his mouth and nose. If one didn't know any better, you could almost say he was merely sleeping peacefully, despite how his muscles tensed and relaxed at almost irregular intervals, making his body twitch occasionally.

"Well, you boys keep up your good work," Topaz said simply with a small, cheeky smirk and spun on his heel to head out of the room. However, halfway through the door, he stopped dead and his smirk fell as one of the metal earcaps twitched. "…"

Silently, he turned back, placing one hand on the doorpost.

"…Say that again…" he murmured softly, his expression giving nothing away.

The scientists looked up in surprise, many of them not seeming to understand what he had meant and looking back and forth in confusion.

"Don't bother pretending you didn't say anything…" Topaz said simply, lightly tapping the side of his mask. Or more precisely the earcaps. "These are not just for decoration. So you better say what you had to say before I get really angry."

Despite how neither his face or his voice changed anything, this only enhanced the aura of 'danger' that seemed to radiate from the blonde admin. When no one spoke up again, Topaz walked back into the room, one step at a time, his eyes moving silently across the scientists, as though he were silently daring them to remain silent.

But no one dared to speak, and Topaz remained silent, though his fingers tapped rhythmically against his palm, slowly and deliberately.

It took nearly a minute more before one of the scientist rose from his seat, slamming his hands down on the console before him. "I-I said…!" the man exclaimed, pausing to gulp down whatever was blocking his throat when Topaz turned to look at him. "This… this is wrong! Using humans as test subjects is… is just cruel and… and… _inhuman_!"

For a long time, the room was deathly silent, with the exception of the computers' whirring as they processed all the information and worked with the orders they had been given. Topaz said nothing at all, and merely stared at the man for a long, silent moment.

After nearly 2 minutes had passed, a slow smile passed over Topaz's face. "Oooohhhh, I see. Working with humans makes you feel queasy, eh? Because it's… immoral, right? After all, humans have friends… family, and soooo many things they want to do with their life, right?"

His voice was calm, scarily so, to be honest. It made the other scientists back off in slight fear, for they knew that Topaz was known to be highly unpredictable.

And then, without warning, Topaz's expression darkened and his only visible eye flared blood red in as he threw his hand forward, a massive claw of purple energy rushing for the scientist who had spoken up and slamming him into the wall 4 feet in the air. The man coughed and hacked as the claw tightened its grip, steadily cutting off his oxygen supply.

"And how is that any different from testing on Pokémon?" Topaz hissed out. "Pokémon are as much alive as any of us. They have friends… family… they have everything that we have in the regards of life. The only difference between us is that we have obtained more power than they have, including the power to command them into battle."

The scientist had to struggle for air now, as he attempted to claw his way loose, but Topaz was not having it. He merely curled his hand a little further, his fingertips about an inch removed from his palm, causing the ethereal claw to tighten its grip on the man.

"Hmph. You call yourself a scientist? You're nothing but a pathetic fool who pulls back from something simple only because the subject changed."

But before Topaz could say anything else, his right earcap snapped up a little, making him hum in slight surprise as he briefly turned his head, as though someone had addressed him. He remained silent for a long moment, though not lessening his hold on the man in the slightest. Finally, a small, but cruel smile crossed his lips.

"Very well…" he said simply, unfurling his hand and letting the scientist crumple to the ground, gasping and choking for breath. "You were lucky this time," he said simply. "I suggest never bringing this matter up again, though, because if you do, I've been given permission to change _you_ into our next subject."

With those words, Topaz once more spun on his heel and left the room behind, slamming the door shut as he went. Despite that, though, the man seemed to be in a slightly better mood than a few minutes prior.

* * *

Before long, Topaz walked into the room with the round table, where all the other Admins, as few as they were, were already waiting.

"You're late, Topaz," said the voice of a woman, a glare fixed on her face behind her mask that hid only her mouth and nose, running between her eyes and up to her forehead. Her hair was a dark black with dyed white tips, her dark blue eyes were cold and uncaring.

"Has the meeting started already then?" Topaz asked simply.

"Not yet, however-"

"Then I'm not late… yet," he said cheekily, pulling one of the chairs away and tossing it to the floor, before he hopped up and settled in mid-air, seated as though he were actually sitting on the chair he had discarded a moment ago. "You're such a boring woman, Amanda," he said simply, leaning his cheek on his knuckles almost casually.

The woman snarled, while two of the other Admins laughed at the other man's words. One of them was the man known as Eclipse, whom Hiiro and TJ had met in the Sapphire Caverns, and the other was the man going by the name of Shaval, the person who had attempted to kidnap the daughters of Zienna.

The only ones who did not laugh as well were the man sitting next to Eclipse, the same man who had preached to the people of Amethyst to leave the archipelago, and a man who would remind one most of a mysterious raven. He had beady red eyes that were like two rose petals, his thick, curly, violet hair was long and was worn in a practical, precise style. It was clear that he was tall, even when he was sitting, and had a broad-shouldered build. His skin was deeply-tanned. He had a high forehead and prominent ears. His mask covered half of his face and most of his mouth.

"Ahahahahah! Okay… now can we start?…All this waiting and about to listen is boring." Shaval quickly changed from laughing to a bored attitude, as was usual with him.

The man with the mask covering his eyes nodded silently. "I agree. This has taken too long as is."

"You're taking their side now, Gradient?" Amanda snarled out.

"I am not taking sides," the man, Gradient, replied simply. "I just said this is taking up more time than needed."

"Right right! We got more important things to do!" Shaval smirked under his mask.

"Grr… all of you…!" Amanda hissed out, before the other man, the only one not known by name at this point, spoke.

"That's enough, Amanda…" he said solemnly. "You really want to start a fight at this point?"

"N-no… but…!" Amanda started, before she fell silent and hmphed, leaning back against her own chair.

Shaval gave a taunting chuckle. "Don't worry. We can fight after the meeting. I am very curious on what punches you can throw."

"Why you!" Amanda hissed out.

/_That is enough,_/ resounded from the speakers above them, suddenly, making the six Admins look up silently. It was a voice that was heavily distorted, probably pulled through a voice modifier or two. There was really no telling if the voice's owner was male or female because of it. /_Now that you are all here, we can begin the meeting._/

The Admins nodded in agreement and reclined a little in their seats, with Topaz crossing one leg over the other casually.

/**So what is the status on the orbs?**/ a different voice asked over the speakers.

"Thus far, we have collected two out of three," Gradient said, placing two crystalline orbs on the table. One of them was a pale blue that appeared to have water flowing inside of it, and the other was a sparkling yellow that seemed to spark with electricity. "The first we located in the woods outside of Amethyst… the other in the Sapphire Caverns."

"Bah! Woulda had it a lot sooner if those lil punks didn' interfere. Dey almost messed up da whole damn operation!" Eclipse snarled angrily, the fur on his collar almost seeming to bristle along with his mood.

/**Is there any hint where the 3rd orb is located?**/

"Most likely, it's to be found in Ruby Village, on top of Mt. Ruby," Topaz said casually. "After all, the place is a dead volcano, is it not?"

/_True… so… which of you will go to retrieve it?_/

"I don't mind trying it myself. I need to lay off some steam after those lame orders to get a new member."

"What?" Amanda snarled, glaring at Shaval. "You expect us to just believe you in that you won't screw up again?"

"It wasn't my fault I had to use Shadow Pokémon… Also if the Moltres Representative wasn't there… I would have probably had it."

"What does that have to do with-"

/_Amanda, if you are so worried he'll screw up, then go with him,_/ said the voice from the ceiling.

"…Fine then I will!"

"…Ehehe…whatever… as long as I can blow stuff up."

"You might want to be careful with what you blow up, though…" Topaz added. "Unless you want the volcano to reawaken."

"Well… that would be more interesting if you have some fire types." Shaval smirked.

While Amanda snarled, a third voice, equally altered as the others, spoke. /This is not a war… yet. Save that for when things come so far./

"Aaah okay… fine…" Shaval frowned.

/_Good. Now, with that matter resolved, have you anything to report, Topaz?_/ asked the first voice.

"Hmm? Who, me?" the blonde quipped innocently.

/I think he refers to your latest little 'project',/ said the third voice.

"Ooooooh, _that_ thing." Topaz allowed a small chuckle. "Is something wrong with it, then?"

/**I am curious… why did you even want to try this idea out?**/ The second voice sounded curious.

"Simple," Topaz said with a cold smirk playing on his face. "That boy… he has potential. True potential… but his emotions are a blockade between him and that potential. If he were to keep them, he might discover them… but he'd end up using them against us rather than for us."

"So you decided to remove that threat before it could grow too great," said the fifth man in the room.

"If you want to put it that way, then yes."

"Emotions removal is just stupid anyway… what's so fun of life if you cannot let your emotions go nuts once in a while?"

At Shaval's words, Eclipse laughed. "True dat, but not everyone needs 'em," he chortled out.

Topaz, in that regard, chose not to respond. Hell, he didn't even twitch as those words were said. And Shaval didn't seem to agree to those words, either.

/_Either way, this has never been performed on a human, before. Are you sure it will succeed?_/ asked the first voice.

"Hmm… nope." Topaz's response startled a good half of the other Admins. "However, even if he dies, the kid would still get what he wants; he's as suicidal as they get, so it'd be easy to just fake his death to make it look like a suicide."

/**I see… amazing**./

/As expected… you chose someone with good potential… yet someone who would not be missed too dearly if he were to… 'disappear',/ said the third voice, a tinge of amusement lining it.

"Hmhmm… seemed like the best way to go about it,"

/_Hmm. Very well. Do any of you have any other subjects that need be discussed?_/ asked the first voice.

/None./

/**None as well.**/

/_Fine. Then hereby this meeting is adjourned._/

And with that, the speakers sizzled off.

"…Well, that's that," Topaz quipped as he stood up again.

"You're just gonna leave like that?" Amanda demanded, shooting up from her feet.

"Of course; I have nothing to say to the rest of you, after all," Topaz said simply and spun on his heel to walk out the door.

Shaval got up and smirked at Amanda. "Shall we find a quiet spot to fight me?"

"Grrr! Why you-"

Eclipse merely cackled as the woman launched herself at Shaval, and Gradient shook his head as he walked out. Only the final Admin remained silent and watched without a word, while Eclipse was shouting out to the other two Admins as they fought.

* * *

Nearly an hour later, Topaz entered his own chamber and stretched briefly, before his right earcap snapped up again. Allowing a lazy smile, he quipped: "Good evening, Milady."

"_Cut the crap, Zero_," came the all too familiar voice from the only person who called him 'Zero'. "_What's the deal with you saying that the project might not work? You know damn well-_"

"No need to get angry at me," he interrupted as he settled on the bed he had set up in the room. "Did you really want me to lay out all our cards on the table so early? You still don't know if they're trustworthy, do you?"

"_I highly doubt that they are,_" the woman's voice said with a derisive snort. "_They hide who they are, but it's not that hard to figure that out. In any case… how far is that project of theirs going?_"

"Slow, unfortunately," Topaz murmured, putting his hands behind his head. "It seems they can't make it work and all their subjects disintegrate before they can be of any use. It seems that something is lacking with all of them that no has figured out yet."

"_Ch, I wonder what…_" the woman snorted, before she turned serious. "_As fun as this running around is, if this keeps up, nothing will be done. Figure out some way to make it work and ensure that this all is brought to an end._"

"As you wish, Milady."

"_And STOP calling me that! You know I hate that title!_"

Topaz allowed a small smirk. "Very well… I'll refrain from using it then… Nitira."

"_See that you do,"_ Nitira's voice said simply, before the connection was broken.

The blonde was silent, a small smirk still playing on his lips as he closed his eyes. Whatever was going through his head at that point, it wasn't visible to anyone watching him just then. It would be a miracle even for the other Admins to figure out what was going through his head. And quite honestly, he preferred it as such.

Just then, there was a knock on his door, making him open his eyes. "Yes?"

"Um…S-sir Topaz… we have finished the… t-treatment," came a nervous voice from the other side of the door.

"Oh?" Topaz allowed a smirk, even as he got up. "Very well, I will be there in a little bit."

* * *

And a few minutes later, Topaz walked into a place that looked much like a medical ward. It wasn't hard to spot Nick from the doorway; he was sitting up on the cot, simply staring ahead of him with a blank expression that was emptier than it had been before that day. Topaz allowed a lazy smile as he walked over.

"Morning," he quipped almost cheekily, making Nick turn to him.

His expression was completely empty; there was nothing in his eyes whatsoever. There was no sadness, no happiness, no anger, no love… nothing. It was like looking into the eyes of a doll.

"So… do you feel anything odd?" Topaz asked casually, leaning a little on the cot.

"…" Nick seemed to think about that question for a moment, looking off to side a few times. "…no… I feel nothing."

"And, you're satisfied?" When Nick looked at him, Topaz laughed. "Ah, right. Of course. My apologies. In any case, this is what you wanted, correct?"

"…Yes, it is," Nick responded softly.

"Good. That's very good to hear," Topaz said simply, patting Nick on his shoulder. "So, shall we get you suited up then?"

Nick looked at him for a brief moment, seeming to think about what he said, before he seemed to remember. "…Sure."

"Great. Let's go then."

Topaz silently led the boy out of the ward and down the halls, but as he did, a cold, icy grin crossed his face. It was not a friendly grin…

And the shadows of heaven continued to expand further and further inland.

* * *

**Amanda is copyrighted to me.  
**


	24. Chapter 23 Route to Opal Town

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 23: Route to Opal Town**

* * *

The following morning, Alex headed off to the Gym again, and told the others to go ahead of them, claiming he'd catch up to them soon. The further they got away from the lagoon and Diamond City, however, the more obvious it became that they were rapidly approaching the desert. The plant life all around them was slowly becoming less and less, until they'd be lucky to find a single blade of grass.

"Looks like we're getting close to Opal…" Hiiro murmured as they walked, with Eevee running ahead of them, yipping happily.

"Mmmuuurrr…"

Looking to his daughter a bit sympathetically, the silverhead began to stroke her back, nodding over to Hiiro "good thing too…"

The boy was silent to that, nodding briefly as they continued on. There weren't many Pokémon around, to be honest; most of them seemed to be in hiding somewhere around them.

"…I wonder who Choras meant with 'Crow'?" the boy murmured after a while.

"More wonderen wha he meant by watch out for em…"

Hiiro hummed a little, but said nothing in response.

"Guess we only have ta see ta find out then…" the silverhead sighed out, running a hand up along his hair, removing his goggles a bit as he looked to the sky. "Man o man…"

"What's wrong?" Hiiro asked curiously.

"Naw, nothen…jus some stuff runnen up in tha head cha kno…oiy!" TJ quickly yelped out, a thought crashing through the track in his head as he looked to the boy. "When did cha get…Ray?"

"Ray? We ran into him during our excursion in the Crescent Forest," Hiiro said casually, before he smiled as he pulled out something from his pocket. "Ketlin had fun, too," he said, handing a piece of paper to the other Trainer.

Blinking as he took the paper, the silverhead glanced at it, before trying to quickly hold back a laugh. "Che…same ol kit, guess she still can' quite be human."

Hiiro allowed a smile, before he stopped as he heard a cry that, while familiar, wasn't the same as he was used to. Mostly because it sounded 'echoed'.

"Veeeeee! Eeveeeeeeee!"

"What the…?" the boy mumbled, in surprise, just before his own Eevee dashed forward. "Gah! Eevee!" he cried out, hurrying after.

"What tha, hey wait up!" TJ called out, quickly chasing after the boy and Pokémon alike.

Before long, the small Pokémon skidded to a halt, and Hiiro did as well, staring at the scene before him.

There had to be at least 7 other Eevee there, running back and forth in a panic, with a large metallic-colored bird snapping at them with its beak. The small Pokémon weren't fast enough to completely avoid it, though they managed to avoid actual 'capture'.

"Skarmory! Why is it…?" Hiiro managed to get out. before his own Eevee rushed forward with a cry. "Eevee, no! Get back here!"

"Dammit!" TJ hissed out, quickly reaching into his bag. "All times, come on where is Tom's…"

Hiiro grumbled out and reached for one of his own Pokéballs, as the Skarmory turned its attention to the charging Eevee. But before either he or TJ could pull out a Pokéball…

A burst of dark grey shot out from the sand suddenly, smashing right into the Skarmory's side, causing the metal bird to squawk in surprise as it was sent lurching back. Hiiro blinked and looked at the Pokémon that had rushed the Metal/Flying type, before he gasped in surprise. "That's a…!"

"Wha tha sarindipity is…"

Before her father could finish the comment, the young Shonen girl suddenly spring boarded onto her father's back, blinking in surprise as she finally caught up with the group. "Mew? Who's that Pokémon?"

The Pokémon facing off with the Skarmory looked a little like a Flareon, but its fur was dark grey and instead of a fur collar, it had pebbles that littered/floated around its neck. Its tail was long and slender, ending in a thin point that looked like a sharp spike, and its wide dark eyes had narrowed in anger. Its ears were a grainy sand color, and it had strange markings running along its face and paws.

Hiiro whipped out his Dex and aimed it at the Pokémon.

"**_Minereon. An evolution core Pokémon. Through prolonged stone radiation exposure to a Moon Stone, Eevee evolves to this Rock type Pokémon. Minereon is able to break rocks with focused strikes from its hardened tail tip, which it uses to break stones to gather minerals for itself as nutrients and seasoning for its food and water._**"

"A new Eeveelution?" TJ blinked out, grinning a bit as he looked to the Rock type eagerly. "Lucky day."

Shaking her head at her father's thoughts, the girl quickly hopped down, dusting off the side of her skirt with a growl. "What's with the Steel type? I don't like it…"

"I'm not s-" Hiiro started, just before the Minereon suddenly rushed at the Skarmory when it screeched.

What made him stop wasn't the blind rush, though; it was the fact that a cluster of rocks suddenly rushed to its side and spiraled around it. And then the Minereon rolled up and the rocks slammed down around him, creating a massive boulder that rolled forward at great speed and slammed headlong into the Skarmory.

"SKRAAAAAAAAA!" the Skarmory screeched in surprise and pain as the rocks burst apart and the Minereon clamped its jaws down on the Steel Pokémon's wing, the force of the Bite actually causing the metal to crack.

"Whao! Now that's a Rollout! And a Bite!" Ketlin cried out, cheering as she pumped her fists in the air "Come on Minereon! Kick Skarmory's butt!"

"Easy kitten things aren' always wha they seem cha know tha."

Skarmory tried to Peck at Minereon, but its beak only bounced off of its fur. The much smaller Pokémon kicked off and spun away, facing Skarmory as it puffed up its cheeks - and spat out a rock right at its face.

The hit made the Skarmory screech again and, realizing that it wasn't going to get a meal with Minereon present, rapidly kicked off in a run, before taking off into the air, flying away. Minereon dashed after a short distance and barked in obvious warning, before it huffed and walked back to the small pack of Eevee, who immediately hurried to its side happily.

Hiiro's Eevee watched it curiously, head cocked to the side, before he yelped as he was picked up.

"Stop running ahead of us like that," Hiiro chuckled out to the smaller Pokémon, who merely smiled a little cheekily and licked Hiiro's nose. "Heh…"

Minereon looked up then, as if just noticing them, and cocked its head at them. "Miiiiin?"

"Heee!" Ketlin grinned out, shaking her fists in excitement before punching at the air, quickly hurrying over to the Rock Eeveelution's side "That was AWESOME! You stood your ground and gave that hardhead what was coming to em, the big jerk!" The girl giggled, quickly leaning down besides Minereon, tilting her head a bit to match its own arch. "So this is what you guys turn into for Rock elements? Neat, never seen one of you in the other regions."

"This place is known for being an Eevee paradise," Hiiro said as he placed Eevee on his shoulder, the small Pokémon laying down on his tummy so he wouldn't fall off. "You'd be surprised how many of them live here."

"So tha Gems have seen most of tha Eevee types?" TJ murmured, rubbing his chin in some thought, muttering something, from what the boy could hear, it was something of his thesis of Eevee and Mew's relationship

The other Eevee looked at Ketlin curiously, sniffing at her, before happily starting to yip and hop around her, clearly having already forgotten they had been in life-threatening danger only a moment ago. And Minereon only looked at Ketlin with a small, focused frown, before he seemed to shake the matter off.

"Most likely," Hiiro said with a nod. "Heard there was a Poison evolution at some point… but it died out due to a lack of pollution in the area. Kinda weird how something like that would cause a Pokémon race to die out."

"Well had tha same thing with Grimer an Muk in a city back in Hoenn a few years ago…" TJ said simply, shrugging with a sigh. "Shame though, ironically…"

Blinking at the Rock type's reaction, Ketlin frowned, seeming to match Minereon's own look before leaning in, going on her hands a bit, but holding one off the ground oddly. "Hey what's with that? Okay sure, you were attacked, but minereon miner reon mine."

Had Minereon had them, it would've raised an eyebrow at her, but as it was, it only looked at her strangely. But finally, it stood up and gave a short bark, making all the Eevee look at it, before hurrying off. However, it was going slow enough for all the Eevee to keep up, who hurried after with happy yips.

Blinking a little out of his thoughts himself, the silverhead turned to his daughter a bit caught off guard, but a little worried more to the look of his face. "Kitten."

Ketlin, out of it for a few moments, actually seemed to try and crawl along after the Eevee-types, tilting her head curiously back to the silverhead. "Vee?"

"Gah…Ketlin!"

Looking to him, the girl quickly blinked, her eyes wide, shaking her head as she rubbed her temples, giving a small hiss. "Nrgh, weird…"

"Veee?" Eevee chirped from Hiiro's shoulder, while the boy watched her silently, not saying anything, before he turned to watch the Eeveelution rush off.

Dusting her hands and knees off as she got up, the girl murmured about the embarrassment that was, before turning to watch the Eevee group hurrying off. "Mew, where they goen anyway, Hiiry?"

"…I guess they're heading for the desert," Hiiro said simply. "If that Eevee evolved into a Rock type, they probably lived in the desert for a long time."

"Vee."

"…Or a cave, yeah," Hiiro said with a nod.

"Be true with…huh cha two really getten good with each other," TJ muttered out, looking to the boy and his shoulder toting Pokémon alike.

Hiiro blinked, before mentally slapping himself for that. "Huh… yeah, I guess so," he said, though he knew better, of course; because of his new heart, he was also able to understand Pokémon language, and while it was handy, he preferred to not have anyone know about it.

"Anyway, let's move on! We're almost at Opal now, so we should hurry before we dry up out here."

* * *

Before long, the trio arrived in Opal Town, where two out of three proceeded to gawk. Choras had already said that the place was actually an oasis, but he had failed to mention the exact amount of water present in the city. There was a large, and I do mean large, fountain in the center of the town, and the walls surrounding the city had a small 'river' running across the ledges. The houses were all in white, to reflect the sun's harsh lights away from the inhabitants.

"Well, here we are; Opal," Hiiro said with a smile.

"Whao…I've seen bayous smaller than this…" TJ murmured, looking around to the area around them in awe inspired sight

"…I'm thirsty," Ketlin muttered a bit flatly, shaking her head as she looked around quickly.

Hiiro laughed at Ketlin's words. "Well, let's go get some water, then," he said, walking ahead toward the fountain.

"Race ya," the girl said, nearly knocking the boy over as she rushed to the fountain, earning a growl behind her from her father

"Hey!" Hiiro yelped, before rushing after the girl, with Eevee hopping off his shoulder and starting to rush, too.

"Eash…kids," TJ sighed out with a small chuckle, following after the trio as his hand searched within his bag.

Within a few seconds, Eevee made it to the fountain first, hopping onto the edge and starting to lap at the water greedily, tail wagging behind him

However, just as the small Normal began to drink, a big splash nearly toppled him over, as Ketlin literally simply skid into the side of the fountain hips first, dunking her face, head and heck even her shoulders down into the water's surface.

Hiiro laughed as he approached, settling on the edge and cupping some water in his hands to drink.

After a few moments, which caused many who saw the girl's initial dunk wonder if she was hurt, the girl came out, whipping her hair a bit to shake the water off simply as she grinned out "Aaah! I'm alive again! Hehe, I won!"

Hiiro merely rolled his eyes. "You had a head start on me."

"Still won," was the girl's playful response, sticking her tongue at the boy as her father dunked some items into the water besides them. "Eash though, still don't like deserts…"

Looking over to TJ, Hiiro blinked once, before asking: "What are those?" nodding to the items he had dunked.

"Hm…oh jus empty bottles. Keep hydrated an all tha. Never know wha will happen when we leave tha oasis."

"Ah, okay."

Eevee cocked his head, before hopping in Hiiro's lap, making the boy yelp briefly, before he laughed and patted the small Pokémon's head.

Chuckling at the sight, TJ turned about the fountain, watching the passerby's as he filled some more bottles for their trip. "Hm…"

As TJ watched, though, his eyes passed over someone who seemed… out of place.

While everyone present was wearing light clothing, both in color and amount, there was one person who was leaning back against the wall of one of the houses, dressed in a pitch black hooded robe, a blanket splayed out before him and numerous little trinkets strewn about it. A black bird Pokémon, the feathers on its head shaped like a fedora, was perched on his shoulder; a Murkrow.

He had to be around Ketlin's age, but it was a little hard to determine.

"Hmmm…weird…"

"Hm? What's weird?" Hiiro asked.

Turning to the boy, the silverhead quickly nodded, pointing the strange boy from across the crowd. "Him."

Hiiro glanced over and blinked. "…huh… yeah, weird…"

If the boy was aware of their stares, it didn't show. He barely moved at all, one leg pulled up and one arm placed over it, head hanging low to hide most of his face in the shadow of his hood.

"Hm…aw well let's…GAH!" TJ yelped, quickly yanking his daughter up as a heavy amount of bubbles came from her water dunked head, hissing a bit as she coughed out a bit in shock, needing a few pats to her back. "Kitten, cha breathe air, got it?"

"R-right…ugh my head's swimming more than my lungs again…"

"Esh…" Hiiro shook his head as he stood up. "Anyway, let's go."

"Lead way…" Ketlin coughed out one last time, shaking off the water from her shoulders and head like a canine Pokémon as she quickly seem to brush aside whatever was on her mind.

Hiiro nodded and started to walk over to where the boy was sitting,

"…JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZE!"

"…Huh?"

Almost jumping out of his skin, TJ whipped around, looking to his daughter in surprise before going "Wha?"

"I haven't seen that many Ghost types hovering around anyone since I was at a graveyard that one time!" Ketlin said out simply, pointing the strange boy out as if it was obvious.

Hiiro blinked, before looking over to the boy. Said boy did not move. In fact, he barely seemed to notice them.

After a moment, though, the Murkrow on his shoulder squawked, and the boy raised his head slowly to look up, staring at them with wide, empty eyes that were such a light blue that they were almost white.

"…kay that's creepy."

"Kitt!" The silverhead hissed out, nodding to the boy a little apologetically. "Erm gomen…she…"

"…cute…" the boy said suddenly, his mouth inching up into a grin that was a little scary, given that half of his face was still covered in shadows.

"Erk!"

Moving silently, the boy placed his feet together, resting his hands on his ankles and quipped: "Ne… want me to tell your future?" his grin never once leaving his face.

Blinking at that, girl raised her eyebrow curiously, turning to the unseen ghost type with a slight grumble "He for real?…meh what I got to lose, sure hit me with one."

The boy's grin expanded for a short while, before he reached out and grabbed a small bowl and a cup of some kind, which rattled a bit as he lightly shook it. After setting down the bowl, he covered the top of the cup with his palm and held it between his hands like that, shaking the cup and making it rattle for half a minute, before snagging the side and letting the contents - several small bones - clatter into the bowl.

Hiiro paled upon seeing the bones, taking a quick step back, while Eevee blinked curiously, head cocked to the side.

"…ah…" the boy said, his grin lessening just slightly, but only just. "That's… not good…"

"What, you missing a pinky in there somewhere?" Ketlin blinked out, looking closely to the scuttle of bones from the boys cup not bothered at the least visibly.

"…you will lose a friend… no… two… in the journey ahead of you…" the boy said simply, lightly tilting the bowl, studying their position, before he spoke again. "…one already has been… the other… will follow soon…"

"…that doesn't sound good at all…" Hiiro murmured.

"Might just be a guesser," Ketlin said simply, shrugging back to Hiiro as if the news wasn't affecting her. "We're on an adventure journey Hiiry, you always have to say see ya next time to a nakama eventually, it happens."

The boy shook his head. "…this friend… you will not see again… not in the way you have seen him before… the other… just the same… They will be lost and getting them back will be… nigh impossible."

The young Shonen looked to the boy at that, before grinning out, straightening out as she crossed her hands behind her head. "Yup, just a guesser fortune teller."

The boy slowly looked up, but instead of being angry, he merely grinned, almost icily. "Say what you like… but when you see that what I say is true… I might be tempted to say… 'I told you so'," his said, his grin never faltering.

"Sorry but I know you're guesser now for sure," Ketlin grinned out, not phased in the least. "Nothing's impossible, and if it is? I make it possible. That's just the way me and my treasures roll, hey common, Hiiry," Ketlin said simply, seemingly putting the fortune out of her mind as she grabbed the boy's wrist, tugging him along. "Now I'm hungry!"

"H-hey!" Hiiro yelped as he was tugged along, with Eevee hurrying after the duo.

The boy merely watched them go, his Murkrow squawking briefly, as his grin remained on his face for long enough that one would think his face would stick like that.

"Cha face'll stick like tha," TJ said simply, starting to walk after the pair calmly. "Don' take offense ta her…our family's never liked to listen ta fate is all."

The boy said nothing in response, watching TJ go silently, before he once more leaned back and his grin faded away entirely, returning to how he had sat before they had come up to him.

* * *

"That… that kid was creepy…" Hiiro managed to get out once they had reached the center.

"Meh guesser fortune tellers do that, helps their business," Ketlin shrugged out simply, looking around "food food…"

"Yeah, but…" Hiiro started, rubbing his arms to get rid of the cold he had felt. Something about the boy had just… scared him, but he'd never tell anyone about that particular fact.

"Boy the ghost spots must have really creeped ya huh?"

"Gimme a break…"

"No I mean all the chills in the air from the ghost types around him," the girl pointed out with her thumb again, giving a slight shrug. "That many spooks would be great air conditioning in the desert."

"Urgh… don't even go there…"

"Kitten, cha think maybe all tha Ghost types means he could have…" TJ began, before blinking as he looked around. "Hm?"

The reason TJ had turned was that the doors had been thrown open and a familiar boy stood in the doorway, panting and gasping for breath as though he had actually run the entire way from Diamond to Opal… or cycled at top speed, either one. Alex needed at least a minute to catch his breath, wiping the sweat from his brow before stumbling over to the group.

"Alex…?" Hiiro asked in surprise. "Are you…?"

"Have you guys seen Nick before or after leaving Diamond today?" Alex asked in one breath before Hiiro could finish the question.

"Hm? No, we haven't," Ketlin blinked out, looking over to her father who gave a shake of his head, pulling one of the water bottles from his bag to hand to the out of breath boy. "Why?"

"Sh-shit…" Alex panted, thankfully accepting the bottle and guzzling the water down quickly. "Guh… he… he hasn't been home last night… and we couldn't find him anywhere in the city either. He's… he's disappeared from the city entirely."

"Say what?" Hiiro managed to get out in surprise, his Eevee's ears perking up in equal surprise.

Looking in equal shock, the elder Shonen hissed out, gritting his teeth "Slag, tha's not good…"

Ketlin, giving a frown, sighed as she shut her eyes, crossing her arms behind her head a bit as she seemed to relax her body on the spot. "Hmm…"

"Urgh… I… I don't know where he went otherwise… Choras said he'd contact Zienna to see if he might've taken a ferry to Crystal…" Alex got out as he finally dropped down on a chair, hissing as he rubbed his legs.

Hiiro glanced to Ketlin curiously, before asking: "Ketlin? You okay…?"

"Just checking the phone lines…Nope he ain't dead yet," Ketlin responded, almost blurting the matter out simply.

"Kitten…"

"What it's not a good thing?"

"It's a relief… but hardly a good thing…" Alex gasped out, finally starting to get his breath back. "We still have no clue where he is…"

"Uugh," TJ sighed out, rubbing his temples as he looked upwards a bit in thought. "Tha sarindipity cha get ta Nick…"

"…Nick is missing…?" asked a quiet voice from behind them suddenly, making the group turn around.

Standing behind them was a young girl, maybe a year or two younger than Hiiro, with short, bluish-green hair that curled to her face, and her expression looked almost 'sad'. she was dressed in some loose clothes, and she held a loose fist to her chest.

"Um…" Hiiro scratched the back of his head, not really sure what to say.

Unfortunately, Ketlin knew what to say for the boy, a bit bluntly at that. "Like a leaf in the breeze after a Gust attack."

"You could've said that a little more carefully…" Alex mumbled, as the girl's expression turned downright depressed.

"…o-oh…"

"Well he ain't dead so what's the problem we just gotta find him an drag him by his pants back here if we gotta," the Shonen girl shrugged out.

The other girl said nothing to that, lowering her face a little, before she spun on her heel and hurried out of the center, not saying another word to anyone.

"Kitten…we really need ta work on cha tact…" TJ growled out, rubbing his face even more as the girl rushed off.

"Congratulations… you just depressed the captain's daughter…" Hiiro murmured.

"Captain…?" Alex question in surprise.

"The Pandora's captain. That girl was his daughter," Hiiro said simply.

"Erm…oops?"

Hiiro sighed softly as he sat down finally. Alex gave a sigh of his own as he leaned forward on his knees. "…You think he ran into the desert?"

"If he did, the GADP will find him," Hiiro said simply.

"The wha…?"

"Local Pokémon wildlife control kinda thing round here, kinda like rangers in our regions basically," TJ shrugged out

"Yeah. The Gem Archipelago Desert Patrol," Hiiro clarified. "There's a lot of people who've already lost their lives in the desert because they were unprepared, so the GADP were founded to patrol the desert."

"I see…"

"Be good survival practice if you could make on your owns though," Ketlin pointed out, quickly piping down when her father gave her the 'you're still in trouble' look. "Mer…"

For a moment, the group remained silent, before Hiiro said: "So, what do you guys wanna do for now? Alexia's new show doesn't start until tomorrow."

"…Alexia?" Alex questioned with a blink.

"Heh. Yeah, what're the odds of that, huh?"

"Mew? What odds you guys talking about?"

Sighing at his own daughter's 'actual name forgetting', the silverhead looked around, muttering something before walking off. "I gotta make a call home anyway."

"Ah, alright."

"Merr…" Shaking her head, Ketlin began to turn on her heels a bit, stopping before she quickly dropped her bag into Hiiro's lap. "Hold this for me Hiiry, gonna see maybe if I can sniff him out."

"Um… okay…?" Hiiro mumbled, watching as Ketlin headed out.

* * *

Ketlin made her way out, giving a slight whiff to the air curiously at the air as she walked, watching people moving about to and fro curiously. "Hmm…where would he have…hm? That smell…" She blinked a little, covering her eyes, a sight itself, the girl began to literally follow her nose, a scent seemingly luring her through the crowds

As she continued onward, a sound suddenly reached her ear; the sound of a flute of some kind being played. But its sound was different from normal flutes, and the melody itself was rather mysterious, as well.

"That sound…Ah! The grass…" she began, suddenly picking her pace up…only to crash into something a bit hard, sending the girl back to the ground a little roughly with a yelp. "Ow…statue…"

The music did not stop, despite Ketlin's yelp, and as she peeked her head around the Guardian Statue, she noticed a single person settled on the ground with his back leaning against the statue.

He was a young man somewhere in his mid- to late-twenties, with long, black hair secured in a ponytail that looked similar to Nitira's, and two longer locks that poked out from somewhere on the top of his head. He was dressed in a silver trench coat with a single, familiar wheel emblem sewn over his chest, loose black pants and some casual boots. His eyes were closed lightly in concentration as he played on some kind of ocarina, his fingers moving on and off the indentations in it.

However, if you paid close enough attention, you could see that he was not actually blowing into the instrument.

The young girl blinked at him a few moments, before crawling over, steadily sniffing away at the back of the man's neck, shutting her eyes as she took in the scent from before. "Meeeww…"

"…Hello, Ketlin," the man said with a smile as the music came to a stop.

"Eh?" She blinked out some more, quickly sitting back from the man eyeing him suspiciously. "How did you know my…"

The man peeked open one eye, looking at her with a sharp, silvery blue eye. "I wonder…" he said, before he opened his other eye and pulled up one leg, resting his arm with the ocarina in hand on it, leaning back on the other and looking at her casually. "So… how are you doing?"

"Well I'm fine, 'scept for who's asking is a completely zilch to me…" she muttered, before shaking it away as she narrowed her eyes. "And…what's that smell on you…makes you smell little like my big brodtar…"

"Ahaha… so I smell like NJ? That's a new one," he chuckled out.

Hissing a little, Ketlin crossed her arms, tightly digging her fingers in her arms as she glared to the man. "Again, who the hell are ya before I get mad…well er."

He merely smiled. "My name is Lionel. And… I suppose you could say… we'll get well acquainted… eventually."

"Lionel…" The girl blinked, sighing before shaking it off. "Okay Kitty…ya still smell like brodtar… fact you know his name that won't helping," she growled, giving him several jabs to the shoulder with her fingers.

Lionel only laughed and reached out, ruffling her hair. "Relax. I'm not your enemy, 'Kitt'."

"Well, you smell like brodtar so I guess that I can trust a little," she muttered, not too pleased with someone ruffling her head suddenly with a short amount of time to know them. Looking to the sky thoughtfully as she grumbled: "What is that weird smell that's all over you that also always on him…"

"I can't tell you… yet," Lionel said honestly. "You'll know eventually, but right now… I can't tell you. I'm sorry."

"This one of those 'you're older you can hear' things cause if it is I'm gonna…"

Lionel lightly tapped her nose. "No, it's not, Ketlin. It's just not yet time for you to know." Putting his other hand on the ground, he pushed off from the ground and stretched a little, before rubbing his neck. "Ah… I almost regret going back after I'm done here."

"Mew?"

"Say, Ketlin, did you find Nick yet?" the young man asked suddenly.

The girl paused at that, before blinking with a yelp "Gah! When I smelt ya I forgot!"

"Don't worry; he's not in Opal," Lionel said. "I don't know where he is right now… but I do know that he's just fine. He made one wrong decision, though… but he'll come around, so there's no need to worry."

Ketlin gave the man a look for some moments, before she shrugged, looking around cheerily. "Okay, food time then."

"One moment, Ketlin," Lionel called out, lightly touching her shoulder before she could run off. "Can I ask you to do me one favor?"

"Er? Okay…what?"

Reaching into his coat, Lionel pulled out what looked like a football shaped bundle of towels. He also pulled out a small box, in which he placed the ocarina. "Could you hand these two items to Hiiro for me? I'd bring them myself… but I'm afraid he and I aren't on the best of terms anymore…"

Looking to the items, the girl picked them up, eyeing them curiously before looking to the man. "Eh…heey you Hiiry's papa or something?"

"Me?" Lionel asked curiously, before he laughed. "Nah. We're just… old friends, I suppose you could say, but we grew apart a long time ago."

"I'll say," the girl murmured, before shaking her head as she got up. "Kay, guess I will…uh oh." She blinked, quickly checking the number of Pokéballs on her belt with a 'meep'. "Juvia was still in the bag…well she'll keep him busy I guess."

Lionel allowed a chuckle. "I'm sure she will." Ruffling her hair one more time, he started to walk off. "Well… good luck on your journey, Ketlin. Say hello to your dad, Hiiro and Alex for me, will you?"

"Um, Okay." She said, waving a bit as she began to walk off, giving the man a glance as they began to walk away from one another

* * *

Hiiro sighed as he sipped his drink, with Eevee resting beside him. Alex was rubbing his legs with an occasional hiss, muttering some choice words under his breath.

"Wonder if Ketlin's alright…" Hiiro murmured after a moment.

"She'll be fine… don't worry so much…" Alex said with a slight hiss as he rotated his ankle.

"You sure?"

"Definitely."

As the boys talked, the bag besides Hiiro began to stir a bit suddenly.

"Hm?" Hiiro looked over to Ketlin's bag and opened it curiously.

A wrong move, as a bundle of yellow and purple came rushing out, clamping over the boy's face as something gave a sudden peck at the boy's forehead. "Smooch smooch smooch!"

"Gak! Juvia!" Hiiro yowled, reaching up to pull the small Pokémon off while Alex laughed. "Stop doing that, will ya?"

The Smoochum smiled cutely up to the boy, waving her little flipper like hands about in his grasp. "Smoochum smoo!" she chirped, which Hiiro translated into; "Like Hiiro!"

Hiiro looked at her dryly for a moment, before he mumbled under his breath. "Seriously? I hadn't noticed…"

Just then, the boy's shoulder got tapped some times. As he looked though, he could just make out the face of a certain girl, who rather had her lips to his just as he looked. "Hm? Notice what Hiiry?"

"Gah! Ketlin!" Hiiro growled, while Alex laughed at the girl's sneakiness.

"That me's," she giggled, quickly taking her Ice/Psychic type, cradling the Pokémon in her arms as she dropped two items down to the boy's lap. "Here, Kitty said to give you these."

"Buh… Kitty?" Hiiro asked in surprise, picking up the box first.

Eevee blinked, looking up curiously, before yawning and looking at the bundle of towels, sniffing at it with a curious blink. "Vee?"

"Ya, said hi-hi too…um, what was it…Leum, Leo?…Mew, something like that was his name."

"Leo…? I don't know any Leo…" Hiiro mumbled, flipping open the box. "…Oh wow!" Hiiro whispered, pulling out the ocarina. "Wow… this is amazing…" Bringing it up to his mouth, Hiiro blew into the mouthpiece… but nothing came out. "…Huh…?

"…Let me try," Alex said, reaching for the ocarina. Once Hiiro handed it over, the other boy blew into it… with the same results. "…Huh… must be broken."

"Can't be, Kitty was playing it before he gave it to me" Ketlin blinked out, taking the instrument as she drew a deep breath in. But as Ketlin exhaled into the ocarina, it produced nary a sound, still. "…Hiiry you broke it!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"'Wha cha do this time'" TJ chuckled, walking over with a few oranges in hand, tossing one over to each of the kids "Wha I miss?"

"Ketlin claims I broke the ocarina!" Hiiro said.

"Relax, man…" Alex said, trying to calm the other boy a bit.

"Jus teasen…wait where cha get tha?" the silverhead blinked, looking at the instrument curiously as his daughter shrugged in response.

"Kitty gave it to me to give Hiiry, said Hi to you too, papa."

"…Kitty…"

"Some guy called 'Leo' or something… I don't know any Leo, though…" Hiiro admitted.

"Neither do I."

Blinking to that, the father shook his head, taking a seat as he did so. "Donno a Leo either…"

Eevee blinked a little, before pawing at the other package. "Veeveeveeeeee!"

"Hm? Oh, okay okay. I'll see what's in this one, too," Hiiro chuckled, reaching out and carefully removing the towels. "…holy…"

Hidden under the towels, was something that was unmistakably a Pokémon egg. It was a pale silver in color, with no other defining features beside that.

"A… Pokémon egg?" Alex mumbled in surprise.

"Huh?…whew, good thing I didn't play catch with that one then…" Ketlin muttered, eyeing the egg curiously as she began to prod it with her fingertips. "Mew…"

Hiiro lifted up the egg carefully, turning it around a few times, before placing his ear against it. "…nothing. Guess it's not ready to hatch just yet."

"Huh… why would someone give you a broken ocarina and an egg?" Alex wondered curiously.

"I have no idea…"

"Maybe they think you need music lessons"

Grumbling at his daughter's joke, least he hoped it was that, the silverhead eyed the egg curiously, rubbing his thumb along his chin as he looked to it. "Wonder what's in there…"

"Only one way to find out," Hiiro said simply, carefully wrapping up the egg again. "I just have to make sure nothing happens to it."

"Yeah…" Alex said with a nod before turning to Ketlin. "So anyway, did you find Nick, Ketlin?"

"Nope, gave up."

"…That's not like you, Ketlin," Alex said with a small frown.

"Kitty said he was fine but not at Opal anymore. Said we'd see him again so why bother worrying 'bout something if the dummy isn't here anymore right?" the girl shrugged out simply, gnawing a little on the edge of the orange her father tossed over, with Juvia sniffing it curiously.

"What's with the "kitty" nickname, by the way?" Hiiro asked.

As his daughter blinked in confusion to the boy, the silverhead sighed, shrugging his shoulder as he answered: "Leo equals lion, lion equals cat an cat equals…"

"Kitty, I get it," Hiiro said with a small nod.

"Ain't it obvious?" Ketlin muffled out, giving a bit of orange to her Pokémon who suckled it happily after a taste, returning to gnawing another bit off with her teeth

"…Shouldn't you remove the peels, Kets?" Hiiro asked after a moment.

"Mur?" The girl blinked out, swallowing the bits in her mouth curiously as she looked to Hiiro. "I should?"

"Yeah, you should," Hiiro said, removing the peels on his own orange. After that, he pulled loose one slice and popped it in his mouth.

Looking at that, the girl tilted her head a bit…before shrugging and biting a chunk of orange again chewing it.

Alex merely sipped his drink, using one hand to peel his own orange.

"Seriously think cha spent too much time around Star's Snorlax…" TJ chuckled out, popping a slice in his mouth as he began to suck up the juices.

"Mew."

"Vee!" Eevee yipped, smiling happily.

* * *

**Minereon was designed by TJ Shonen  
Crow (fortune teller boy) is copyrighted to me  
It should be pretty obvious who Lionel is...  
**


	25. Chapter 24 Alexia of Opal

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 24: Alexia of Opal  
**

* * *

The next morning found them at the Gym of Opal town, but not for the usual reason. Instead of going to deal with the challenge, the group made their way down one of the many stairs that would take them under the actual city. After all, Opal's Gym was located entirely beneath the city itself. As they walked through the underground halls, they eventually found themselves in a round room, surrounded entirely by water on all sides, and all that separated them and the water was a layer of glass.

"Wow… impressive," Hiiro murmured.

"…I wanna have fish now," Ketlin said simply, licking her lips as she looked around to all the water around them.

Alex laughed as they made their ways to some of the seats that had been set up. "This is an interesting gimmick… though where'd all this water come from?"

"This is an oasis town. No one really questions where the water comes from," Hiiro said, sitting down next to Alex. "We're just glad it's here."

"Hmhmm…" Alex looked back as more people filed into the room.

"This shows pretty popular apparently huh?" TJ mused, looking around to the crowd as they gathered. "But pretty impressive by tha looks of it though so makes sense…"

"Hmhmm… I've seen a few shows on TV… but seeing them live is something entirely different."

"We never seen em on TV so."

Just then, the lights in the dome began to dim and the doors they had come through fell shut. For a moment, silence reigned, but then there was a tapping coming from above them. The moment they looked up, a pair of Golduck and Dewgong waved down at them, before swimming off toward the area all the seats were facing.

"Looks like it's starting…" Hiiro murmured as a stage lit up under water somewhere ahead of them, on which the Golduck touched down.

"Mew?" Ketlin blinked, curling up along the seat a bit to watch with the group

Just as she did, two (familiar) figures stepped forward, their heads aimed downward and their postures relaxed and poised, dressed in ceremonial robes.

"Hey… aren't those…?" Alex whispered.

"Yep," Hiiro said with a small nod.

"Mew?" Ketlin blinked out, looking the pair over curiously/

The moment she did, a number of lights flashed on and a voice echoed from somewhere around them: "_Ladies and gentlemen… Boys and Girls  
Welcome to "Hakurei Reitai" Festival._"

The moment the voice finished, both Prometheus and the girl snapped their heads up as the music kicked in, and began to dance in time with the music, the two Golduck matching their motions quite easily.

As the music calmed for a brief moment, a third figure walked forward, dressed in similar robes as the two kids. She was, however, older than either of the two. She had short white-blonde hair with dyed blue bangs, light blue eyes and a gentle expression as she joined the two. And then she opened her mouth…

"_People who enjoy it will win  
Because it's Hakurei Shrine's Festival  
Same as usual_"

With that, the music picked up again, and the small group danced in perfect synch to the music before the woman sang again.

"_We don't need rigid manners  
Imitate the miko and just dance_

_Give thanks to the ancestors CHOITONA  
Pray for a good harvest YATTONA  
Ghosts too YOSSASA  
To the festival music HOISASA"_

With a small smile, the other duo also opened their mouth as the music continued on.

_"EYASSA Dance freely to your heart's content  
EYASSA Dance until the sparkling sweat flies  
EYASSA Forget sleep, let's party  
EYASSA Let's have a blast, today's informal!_

_Hakurei Shrine Neighborhood Association Marching Song_"

At this point, the Dewgong swam around behind them, 'dancing' in their own way, happily spiraling around and between the humans and Golduck without messing up their steps.

The woman allowed a smile as they moved gracefully to the beat.

"_Neighbors come together  
Things like race don't matter, there's no problem_

_Give thanks to god CHOITONA  
Pray for health YATTONA  
Demons too YOSSASA  
To the festival music HOISASA_"

And again, the duo joined her as she sang, while numerous Goldeen and Seaking suddenly swam in to join their 'dancing';

"_EYASSA Dance honestly until you can't dance anymore  
EYASSA Dance to the rhythm of passion  
EYASSA Forget everything, let's party  
EYASSA Let's have a blast, today's informal!_

_Hakurei Shrine's Neighborhood Association Marching Song_"

Just then, the music slowed and their motions become more relaxed as the woman sang softly.

"_Let's send our spirits out to the end of the world  
Bathe in the light of the full moon in this summer night_

_SORE SORE AMEN  
Lead the festival!_

_In the shrine's watchtower, change into your yukata  
The orchestra resounds…let's start the festival_"

The music stopped, the lighting fell away, and then in the blink of an eye, it was back and the group had ditched their ceremonial robes for loose, but traditional clothing that let them move more freely.

"_EYASSA Dance freely to your heart's content  
EYASSA Dance until the sparkling sweat flies  
EYASSA Forget sleep, let's party  
EYASSA Let's have a blast, because today, no one's going to get angry_

_EYASSA Dance honestly until you can't dance anymore  
EYASSA Dance to the rhythm of passion  
EYASSA Forget everything, let's party  
EYASSA Let's have a blast, today's informal _

_Hakurei Shrine's Neighborhood Association Marching song!_"

And with that… the song had ended.

"Wow…" Ketlin blinked out, looking wide eyed at the 'stage' along with her father, who nodded simply with a small smile.

In the meantime, the people present cheered and applauded, while the three humans as well as the Pokémon bowed politely, with the exception of the Dewgong, who were swimming around and waving with cheerful cries.

Alex laughed as he applauded as well. "I admit; I'm impressed. That was REALLY good!"

"Told ya," Hiiro laughed out as he clapped as well.

* * *

"Okay, the actual Gym should be down here," Hiiro said as they descended yet another staircase.

"How deep is this place?" Alex asked.

"Deep."

"Ugh, can't we just jump down…" Ketlin growled out, looking along the railing a bit to the bottom as best she could

"That'd be too easy… Oh, and you might wanna change, Kets," Hiiro said simply. "I know for a fact that this Gym has no puzzles."

"Gah…ugh I gotta find a way to…you guys go ahead while I change, shoo shoo."

"Hahah… Okay, we're going!" Alex laughed out, as he and Hiiro moved on ahead.

* * *

The next room looked like a battlefield split up into multiple platforms that floated on the top of a pool. A simple gimmick, but rather effective.

"Well, this looks easy," Hiiro mumbled.

"It is," came a calm voice from the back.

Upon looking over, they spotted the same woman who had sung during the show, a small smile on her face. She was wearing a loose skirt and had long sleeves that started at the elbows and connected at the wrists, while her shirt was simple, but rather tight.

"I'm assuming you're Alexia of Opal, then, right?" Hiiro asked casually.

The woman allowed a polite smile. "That I am."

"Then you are Opal's Gym leader." Came a second voice from the stairway, Ketlin, or rather, Kamen Trainer, grinned, skidding to a halt besides the boys as she pointed at the women "Then we're here to Challenge you!"

"Oh?" Alexia said with a thoughtful look on her face, one finger poised on her chin. "Well, I usually do Double Battles… so that makes this a little complicated."

Alex hummed in thought, before raising his hand. "In that case, how 'bout I go first? Kamen and Hiiro here seem to work better in Double Battles when they fight together."

"It will work for us," the masked girl nodded, crossing her arms quietly as she looked to Alex and the Gym Leader.

"Huh? Seriously?" Hiiro asked curiously.

Alexia hummed in thought. "Well, I suppose that works," she finally conceded, before cupping her hands over her mouth. "Everyone gather front and center! It's show time!"

At her call, a total of six Pokémon burst out from the water of the pool; a blue-furred fox with a fin-shaped tail and fins lining its neck, head and even its ears, a Vaporeon, a familiar blue-colored humanoid duck, a Golduck, a white sea lion-like Pokémon with a spike atop its head, a Dewgong, a large blue Pokémon with a spiked shield on its back, a Lapras, a purple star-shaped Pokémon with a rainbow colored gem radiating at its core, a Starmie, and a seahorse styled Pokémon with a stern expression on its face, a Seadra.

Alex looked at the group of Pokémon, blinking a few times, before he shrugged. "Okay… my turn!" he said with a small grin, pulling out two Pokéballs from where he kept them on his belt. "Right then! Let's get kicking!" he called out, throwing the two Pokéballs forward.

Both of them smashed down on one of the platforms, but the Pokémon that erupted from it were not Pokémon commonly seen in the GA;

One of them was a gray bird of some kind that kind of resembled a pheasant, its colors indicating that it was probably a female. The other one was a large quadruped with a large bone-like spike coming from the top of its head, a white beard and mustache covering the bottom half of its face, bone-like plates covering the bottom of its legs, and a powerful fin serving as its tail.

"What the…?" Hiiro managed to get out in surprise, before he pulled out his Dex, aiming it first at the bird.

"**_Unfezant. A proud Pokémon. Males swing their head plumage to threaten opponents. However, the females' flying abilities surpass those of the males._**"

"Haven't seen this one in a long time," The masked girl grinned, a slight hop of her leg, a PokéDex slipping up to her grasp as she slid it open to look to the second Pokémon.

"**_Samurott. A formidable Pokémon. One swing of the sword incorporated in its armor can fell an opponent. A simple glare from one of them quiets everybody._**"

"Are these more Pokémon from Unova?" Hiiro asked curiously.

"Yes, Samurott's the evolved form of Unova's starters" Kamen trainer nodded, looking to the long traveled Pokémon curiously. "This should be interesting."

Alex rotated his shoulders for a moment, a small grin on his face before he called out: "Okay, you two! Let's do our best, shall we?"

Unfezant let out a caw as she flapped her wings, while Samurott gave a quick nod, falling into a battle position.

"Oh my, interesting…" Alexia said with a small smile, before she clapped her hands. "Right! Let's go, boys!"

Immediately, the Golduck and Dewgong jumped forward one platform. Clearly, they would be going first out of Alexia's Pokémon. Alex hummed a little in thought, before he smirked.

"Alright! Let's kick this off, then, shall we?"

Alexia giggled. "Okay then… in that case… let's dance!"

No sooner had she said that or music suddenly filtered itself into the room, startling both of Alex's Pokémon even as both Alexia and her Golduck and Dewgong started moving to the beat.

"_Anima libera,  
ti senti candida,  
lassù nel cielo volerai _

_Anima libera,  
sempre mi illumina,  
nel buio dei pensieri miei_"

Behind her mask, the girl blinked, looking a bit dumbfounded to the Gym's Leader, and her Pokémon curiously. "What kind of gimmick…"

"…I'm… not sure…" Hiiro murmured.

Alex, however, was frowning in thought, starting to get a small idea of the gimmick involved in this particular Gym.

"_Anima libera,  
sovente e magica,  
sei la speranza dentro me _

_Anima libera,  
leggera e unica,  
nel cosmo azzurro brillerai_

_E non lasciare che,  
paure inutili,  
nascondano la luce in te _

_Io non ti scorderò,  
io ti celebrerò,  
col ritmo di questa canzone…_"

Just as the music seemed to slow down, like a record, Alex's eyes widened as he realized where this was going and shouted out: "Musical rehearsal! Move it!" making both Unfezant and Samurott yelp before nodding in understanding.

"Musical wha…?" Hiiro blurted out in surprise.

"Kind of sounds like…" the masked girl began, before…

"_Ani-Ani-Ani-Ani-Anima libera!_"

In an instant, as the music kicked up and the lyrics began repeating from the top, the Gym Leader's Golduck had literally run halfway across the room-and over the water no less!-and was right in Samurott's face in the next second. However, the large quadruped kicked off into a somersault and managed to somehow dodge the powerful Slash attack before it could hit. In the next moment, Samurott countered by reaching one of its front paws to the shell protruding from its other arm.

"What is-WHOA!" Hiiro exclaimed as Samurott ripped loose what could only be described as a large sword from the plating on its arm - one that was at least three times as long as the shells had been.

"Razor shell" Kamen Trainer stated, her arms crossed as she focused along the fight "Its its signature move you could say don't get so distracted Challenger."

Golduck managed to jump aside easily, while Dewgong rushed for Unfezant from underwater. However, the bird flew off and spun across the water to avoid the Ice Beam that the sea lion threw her way.

As the bird threw a Razor Wind attack out there, which was dodged when Dewgong went under, Alex murmured softly as he tapped his feet against the ground: "Right… think I got the rhythm now…"

"…I don't get it… what's going on?" Hiiro asked after a moment.

"You haven't felt it yet, their attacks, their synchronized through to the music's beat." The masked girl nodded, grinning a bit as her own fingers began to tap in tune of the beat

"Wait… wha…?"

But before Kamen Trainer could respond, the Dewgong suddenly leaped from the water and almost hit Unfezant, if the bird had not spun out of the way just as the beat shifted, before smashing into the sea lion from the side. At the same time, Samurott had managed to knock the Golduck into the air somehow.

Alex wasn't even calling out to his Pokémon what they had to do; they seemed to be able to judge it by themselves just fine, parrying, countering, and then striking in time to the music still playing around them. Much like Alexia didn't need to say anything for her Pokémon to leap into action, the music was more than enough.

As the song started to reach the end, though, Alex shouted out: "The song's ending! Finish it quick, you two!"

Both the Unova regional Pokémon gave a quick cry of confirmation and then they moved quickly while keeping up with the music. Samurott was instantly upon Golduck by Surfing across the water and slamming into him, following with a powerful Slash attack that sent the duck flying backwards with a loud cry at the same time as Unfezant actually dove into the water, snagged Dewgong by his tail and dragged him back out to send him slamming into the duck's back in midair. The two Pokémon cried out in pain and surprise, before crashing down into the water tank below.

And then the song was over.

"Whoo!" Alex cheered, jumping in the air in victory once. "Gotcha!"

Alexia smiled as Golduck and Dewgong wearily swam over and climbed ashore. "Not bad. You seem pretty experienced at this type of fighting."

"Oh well…" Alex chuckled out, rubbing the back of his neck as Samurott and Unfezant moved over to stand beside him. "I joined in a few musicals back home, so we got _some_ experience, I suppose…"

"Musicals…?" Hiiro asked as he moved over.

"There's musicals in Unova, the Pokémon go on the stage and perform, usually with costumes and things. It's good for their coordination and stamina training," the masked girl responded.

"Really?" Hiiro asked curiously.

"Yeah. It's pretty neat. I could you show you some recordings when we finish here if you want," Alex said after recalling Samurott and Unfezant.

"That'd be cool. Thanks," Hiiro said with a small nod as the other boy stepped aside for Kamen and Hiiro to step up.

The masked girl grinned, walking up after giving Hiiro's shoulder a rough pat, starting to stretch out, getting ready for her 'kick' as she looked to the boy. "You ready Challenger?"

"Yeah, I'm ready," he said with a nod, pulling out one of his own Pokéballs.

Alexia merely smiled. "Okay, let's go for round two, then," she called out as her Seadra and Vaporeon moved forward.

Hiiro seemed to consider it for a moment, before he smirked and spun his cap around, and threw forward his Pokéball.

The girl grinned, crouching, before delivering her roundhouse, sending the Pokéball flying besides Hiiro's

Hiiro's Pokémon of choice was his Xatu, who merely stood on the platform, watching the two opponents silently. And standing besides the bird, a burst of flames shooting from his nostrils, Natsu grinned, flexing his arms as he gave his usual pre battle shout for battle

"Natsu? Why did you…?"

"We'll be fine," the girl muttered, getting into a stance, her Pignite grinning, but giving a blink, looking back to her "Yes Natsu."

"Pig…nite!" The fire type grinned out

"Oh? A Fire/Fighting type, I see… Well, then I guess this one fits the bill just fine," Alexia said as slow, oriental music started playing.

Vaporeon and Seadra moved into a better position, just before the beat picked up, and they rushed forward.

As the two Gym Leader's Pokémon began to rush for the fight, the masked girl shut her eyes, her lips starting to move slowly, just as Natsu slammed his hand down an arm thrust into the platform strong enough to send him flying upwards out of the first water types attack for him just as the music played out

Xatu, of course, did not move at all, even as Seadra shot a spray of water at him. The hit sent him teetering briefly, but he remained rooted to the spot otherwise even as the lyrics began to resound through the room.

"_I can do kung fu  
Do the moves I do  
I must eat salate  
So I can do karate_"

Vaporeon almost easily kicked off the platform and spiraled through the air, lashing out with its tail at the airborne Natsu as a wave of water followed the flow of its tailfins.

Inhaling deeply, the Pignite released a stream of ember flames, straight upwards, sending Natsu down, the water types Aqua Tail smashing to his attack, a great burst of steam covering Vaporeon as Natsu launched himself back up, clashing into the Water type Eeveelution

Hiiro frowned in worry. "Ugh… This is not easy…"

Alex sighed softly, shaking his head. "You're thinking too much! Just feel the beat!"

Hiiro looked back to Alex for a moment, before he hummed in thought, turning back to the fight even as Seadra fired another Water Gun at Xatu, who teleported out of the way easily.

Vaporeon in the meantime, landed in the water, quickly swimming away before resurfacing on a platform,

"_Answer to the land of the rising sun  
Asia is the place where it all begun  
Look at all the fighters and the medals they've won  
Come and make karate fun_"

Natsu landed a bit with a stumble, at least it looked it at first, which quickly turned into a high speed roll out, bouncing from the platform for Vaporeon, spiraling in midair before turning the forward spin sideways, lashing instead with a high powered arm thrust

Kamen, was muttering something to herself quietly, even with Hiiro beside her he couldn't make it out exactly, but it was…rhythmical

Hiiro sighed softly, rubbing his head for a moment. 'Guess I'm just not that musical… oh well.'

Before Seadra could hit again, Xatu spread his wings and rushed at him, striking the seahorse right between the eyes, making it cry out in surprise.

Vaporeon managed to barely avoid the hit and countered with a powerful Hydro Pump attack.

"_Everybody kick to the kung fu beat  
Who will be the master?  
Who will take the lead?  
everybody kick to the kung fu beat  
Who will be the master in the street?_"

Using his gained speed still, Natsu's body erupt with flames, going into a flame charge as his hand smashed into the floor, quickly he kicked out, going into another roll out, sideways on the spot as the hydro pumps water came crashing for him, the heat and water crashing into a vortex of steam all around the fire types body

Hiiro wasn't really listening to the beat anymore; he just focused on the Seadra's attacks and wordlessly made Xatu counter as best as he could. 'Alex and Ketlin make it seem so easy… really, what am I missing here?'

Vaporeon yowled as it was flung away, as the music slowed for a moment, before the chorus repeated again and it kicked back into action, a burst of water sending it speeding toward Natsu.

Seadra, in the meantime, shot several dozen of pins at Xatu, but the bird stopped them inches away from him and sent them flying right back at the seahorse, making it cry out in pain and surprise.

"Try this form…" Kamen muttered, there was a tempo to her and Natsu's own attack, and it wasn't the song Seadra and Vaporeon were going to.

The Pignite grinned, flinging back along the ground, a kick to Vaporeon's chin as it drew near in the aqua jet, the 'water burns' growing along the limb not seemingly getting to him as he released a volley of embers right into the water types stomach as it went overhead. Before with a final speed burst from flame charge, Natsu released another smash of arm thrust into the water types midsection

Vaporeon howled as it was launched backwards, skidding across a platform before dropping into the water, while Seadra was on the receiving end of a Psychic attack that sent it onto dry land.

And then the song was over and the two Gym Pokémon stirred no more.

Hiiro sighed softly in relief, though he knew they still had one match to go. 'I prefer the riddles over this… this is just hard.'

Kamen trainer herself was grinning, matching Natsu's own as the synchronized pair began to snap their joints, getting themselves limber for round two. "Heh…"

"Very good," Alexia said with a small smile, as Vaporeon and Seadra, somehow, made their way back to her side. "Well, are you ready for the last round, then?"

"Yeah…" Hiiro mumbled recalling Xatu and pulling out his next Pokéball.

"HUH?" the masked girl shouted out, the fire type giving a call, signaling his trainer before she nodded "OH, YEAH GO AHEAD BRING IT!"

Hiiro looked at Kamen for a moment in question, before he pulled out his next Pokémon and tossed the Pokéball forward.

"Quaaaag…" the Water/Ground type called out lazily as she materialized.

Stretching out, the masked trainer let her kick fly, releasing her second Pokémon, which materialized after a U turn in the light beam, a sudden kiss being planted on Hiiro's cheek as the small ice type materialized. "Smoooch!"

"Gah! Juvia!"

The Ice type gave her own little giggles, before waddling her way over to the battle platforms, waving her stubbly arms happily as she got ready "Smoochum smooch!"

Alexia merely giggled at the sight, as Lapras and Starmie moved forward. "Very well… let's go."

And then the music kicked in with a violent beat of the drums and guitars, and the two Pokémon got into position for when the song would get going. Hiiro choked a little as the violent music gave his heart a sudden rush that made him backpedal briefly. 'Wh-what the heck?'

And then Starmie launched itself for Smoochum while Lapras fired a powerful blast of water at Quagsire.

Kamen trainer flexed, easily getting Juvia to hop about, surprisingly keeping balance as Starmie came at her

The Smoochum tensed a bit seeing the star shaped Pokémon rush, before leaping, and using a quick kick, managed to bounce off the tip of the star Pokémon's tip out of harm's way, quickly releasing a blast of snow down on its back as it passed

Quagsire, in the meantime, had simply hopped into the water. The Lapras watched for a curious moment, before diving under as well, rushing after the Water/Ground type.

"_Go now, if you want it  
An otherworld awaits you  
Don't you give up on it  
You bite the hand that feeds you_

_All alone, cold fields you wander  
Memories of it, cloud your sight  
Fills your dreams, disturbs your slumber  
Lost your way, a fallen knight_"

Starmie spun around and barely seemed to feel the icy touch, sending a Hydro Pump right at Juvia.

The attack hit, sending the small ice type flying, before crashing into the water with a hard yelp

Kamen Trainer bit her lip tightly at the impact herself, wincing a bit as her back tensed

However, before the small Pokemon could sink, Quagsire popped up from below, putting the small Pokemon on her back.

"Sm-smooch" Juvia whined, trying to steady on her feet again, twitching a bit at a slight strain

"Quaaaag," the Water/Ground type called out as she came past a platform and dropped off Juvia just before she was suddenly dragged into a whirlpool that appeared in the center of the pool.

Starmie gave a small cry as a blast of Psychic energy suddenly rushed toward Juvia.

"Gah…focus…song…" The masked trainer snarled, shaking her head

Juvia yelped, focusing as she created a wave of kinetic energy right back into Starmies own attack, trying to at least stalemate the attempt for the moment "Smoocohuuummm!"

However, the Starmie was more experienced than Juvia, so it barely took a moment to break the stalemate before it had the chance to properly form.

Smoochum yelped, managing to dive aside as the Starmie's attack broke through, only barely, though as she landed on the platform, it was obvious getting up wouldn't be any easier "Smoochuuum!"

But before Starmie could rush for Juvia, Quaqsire suddenly burst from the water and crashed headlong into Starmie, sending the Pokemon flying.

Hiiro was keeping his eyes shut for once, focusing on something even as Quagsire hopped over to stand beside Juvia.

'Know what hurts more than water?' Hiiro's voice suddenly murmured in Ketlin's head.

'Ugh right now our pride, what?'

'Ice water.'

'Nrgh, got you but agh…make it fast'

Getting the mental command, Juvia began to take a deep breath, the icy chill seeping from her puckered lips

Quagsire took a short breath, before letting loose a blast of water. The two attacks mixed together into an icy water stream that slammed headlong into Starmie and sent the Pokemon into a wall just as the song came to an end.

Alexia looked to her Starmie for a moment, then looked into the water toward the weakened Lapras slowly rising to the surface and swimming over. "Well… that was entertaining," she said after a moment with a small smile.

Hiiro sighed as he opened his eyes and adjusted his cap. "Yeah… but I hope I don't have to do that again… no offence, but I don't think I'm cut out for this stuff…"

Alexia merely giggled. "None taken."

"You have some …good beats though" the masked girl grinned out herself, rubbing her back a little, accurately to make the fading ghost pain dissipate as Juvia slumped belly first onto Quagsire's back, rubbing her own with a whine "But my turns seem to beat them in a band vs band"

Alex laughed as he joined the two. "That much is obvious."

Alexia allowed a smile as she walked over, producing something from her pockets, which she then held out to them. "Well then… I do believe you've earned these."

In her hands rested three tear-shapes badges with a spiral surrounding it and a small blue crystal placed along the top of it.

The masked girl grinned, taking up the badge, catching it, her signature 'badge get' once more, starting to make her exit with a wave "Thanks for the dance off Gym Leader!" She grinned, recalling her back ached Pokémon in a hurry

Alexia giggled. "You're welcome."

And with a grin and a poof of smoke, the girl was gone.

Alex laughed at the girl's disappearing act. "Haha… well, let's get back to the center, alright? I promised you I'd show you some musical footage."

"Ah, right. Thanks, Alex."

"No prob. And besides, that'll let you meet the rest of the ABCD gang."

"AB… wha…?"

"Hahah! C'mon! It'll take too long to explain."

* * *

'Better un-henshin an get Juvia to the Pokémon center,'' Ketlin mentally mumbled, removing her mask and gear quickly as she exited, giving a hiss as she rubbed her back "that stung…"

As she came outside though…

"_Sing sing sing… The crow sings tonight…_"

Blinking, Ketlin looked around, frowning at the music came around. "What the?"

Upon looking over, she spotted the boy dressed entirely in black walking by with a small basket of some kind in one hand, his Murkrow flying after him as he sang almost happily; "_Sing sing sing… The crow's voice calls out…_"

"Kind of a weird tune…"

Suddenly, the boy stopped walking and looked over, wide eyes staring at Ketlin before his face broke into a small, but scary smile. "Oh… hi hi…" he chirped. Walking over to Ketlin, the boy asked, almost cheekily: "So… did you find him yet? Your lost friend?"

Blinking, the girl sighed, rubbing her head with a grumble. "One, other, no."

"Ah… but number two hasn't been lost yet… so why go looking?" the boy asked cheekily, his smile expanding into a smirk.

Looking in confusion, the duo hair tinted girl growled: "Whaddya mean…"

The boy chuckled. "Oh… just as I said; you haven't lost him yet… he came running a little after you came… didn't want his fortune told, sadly… too busy running…" By now, the boy was grinning and he turned away to start walking off.

Hearing that, the girl growled, before shaking her head, starting to head off, before stopping, snatching a Ghost type and tossing it through a wall. "At least lay off the ghosts…"

The boy chuckled, but rather than say anything, he returned to his singing and walked off.

* * *

"I don't see TJ anywhere…" Hiiro murmured as they walked into the center.

"I guess he's busy elsewhere… anyway, c'mon," Alex quipped as he led the way to communicators in the corner of the room. The brunette picked up the horn and inserted a card before he typed in a couple of numbers, before setting the comm. to speaker. "Hope she's in, though…"

"Who is?"

"_Hello! You just reached Cypress Pokémon Lab! This is Bianca speaking!_" chirped a happy voice as the face of a blonde girl, dressed in green clothes and cap, from what Hiiro could see, appeared on screen.

"Hey there, B," Alex quipped with a small smile.

"_ALEX!_" the girl, Bianca, cried out immediately upon that, staring at the vid screen with a smile made her eyes blue sparkle in happiness. "_Oh my gosh! How are you! How is the Gem Archipelago? How many badges do you have! How-_"

"B, B, one question at a time, please," Alex laughed out, making a 'calm down' motion with his hands. "It's good to see you, too, but seriously, how much sugar did you have today?"

"_Aaaaw… that's mean, Alex!_" Bianca whined with a pout, looking about ready to cry.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Alex chuckled. "Anyway, B, this is Hiiro," the boy said, gesturing to Hiiro.

"_Oh! Hi hi!_" Bianca chirped, waving happily, back to her usual cheery self.

"Um… Hi?" Hiiro managed to get out, waving back at her.

"Hey, B, are Cheren and Diane around?" Alex after a moment, and the second he said that, Hiiro blinked in surprise.

"_Oh! Yeah, sure! One second!_" Bianca was instantly gone, and the boys could hear her running off in the distance.

"A.B.C.D.… I get it," Hiiro mumbled, to which Alex chuckled.

"Yeah, we've all been friends since forever. Diane moved away at some point, but she recently moved back to Nuvema Town."

"I see."

No sooner had he said so, or rapid footfalls resounded through the speakers, and soon Bianca was back, dragging with her a boy with smooth black hair, green eyes that were slightly framed by a pair of glasses, and wearing what looked like a high-school uniform. "_See! I told you!_" Bianca chirped happily.

The boy blinked a few times, before he adjusted his glasses. "_Ah, yes. Hello Alex._"

"Hey, Cheren. How's it going?" Alex asked with a small nod.

"_I'm doing well enough, thank you,_" Cheren said calmly. He struck Hiiro as a person who didn't talk that much.

"Cool. …Where's Diane?"

"_She's-_"

"_C'mon! He's your friend, too! So move!_" shouted a girl's voice from the screen, and both Bianca and Cheren looked to the side in surprise, before Bianca giggled and Cheren shook his head a little.

Alex blinked for a moment, before he heard another voice from off-screen. "_Ah-w-wait a moment!_"

Before Hiiro could question it, another girl came on screen. She had brown hair and was rather lithe. She had a cap of her own on her head and her hair was secured in a ponytail that came out from the back of the cap. She was obviously ready for summer, Hiiro was sure, if she wore any less clothing, it might be considered illegal, but she actually made it look decent.

"_Ah quit your belly-aching and MOVE!_" she called out suddenly and yanked on the arm of someone else, who stumbled on screen with a yelp of surprise, making Alex laugh lightly.

"Hey Diane. Yo, Noel," he said with a smile, making the duo look up.

The boy that the girl, Diane, had pulled on screen, had shocking green hair and light brown eyes. He was dressed pretty casually, and the thing that Hiiro noticed right away was the puzzle cube that hung suspended around his neck.

Diane allowed a big grin and saluted, whilst quipping: "_Heya, Alex! How're you holding up?_"

"I'm good, thank you. How has everyone been doing?"

"_Ah we're doing just fine! Ain't that right, Noel?_" Diane laughed, grabbing the green-haired boy in a headlock.

"_Ack! D-Diane! Stop that!_" the boy cried out, and Hiiro and Alex couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey, D, give the guy a break, will ya? You're gonna end up breaking his neck like that," Alex pointed out.

"_Fine, fine,_" the girl quipped and released Noel from her grip on him. At this point, she seemed to notice Hiiro. "_Oh? And who's your new friend?_"

"My name's Hiiro," the boy in question said with a warm smile. "Nice to meet you."

"_Pleasure!_" Diane quipped, while Cheren nodded, adjusting his glasses once more. Noel was quiet, but he looked to Hiiro with a look the other boy couldn't describe. It looked a little bit like an abused Growlithe who had been placed in a family where he wasn't sure if he was accepted or if he would be punished for doing something wrong. Like he wasn't used to being around friends like that.

"_So! How is it there? I heard it's like a mini-paradise for Pokémon there!_" Diane quipped, obviously interested in what was happening around the Gem Archipelago. When she asked though, Noel glanced over briefly to her, before looking back to Hiiro and Alex, looking a little hopeful about something.

Hiiro picked up on this and allowed a smile.

* * *

Looking around from his seat, the silverhead gave a wave, watching his daughter hop over after her return to the Pokémon Center "Where's tha boys?"

"I kinda ran ahead."

"…and they're planning to expand to other regions soon enough if they manage to rake up enough support," Hiiro's voice suddenly said from a little to her right. "But as things are going, it's looking pretty likely to happen."

"_Oh wow! I hope they start that up here, too! That'd be so cool!_" chirped Bianca's voice

"_Yes… but we'd also have to abide by the rules of only catching one of each Pokémon, wouldn't we?_" Cheren asked.

"Well, I doubt they'd ask us to just release the ones we've already caught, but wouldn't that be better? I mean, is it really necessary to have multiple of one Pokémon?" Alex asked in return.

Blinking, Ketlin turned over, spotting the boys with a frown "Huh, hey is that…!" With little warning, the energetic dual-persona Trainer jumped, nearly flattening Alex as she used his shoulders as a seat. "Bee! Chars!"

"Gak!" Alex yowled out as the girl appeared out of nowhere.

"_Ah! Ketty!_" Bianca cheered, almost hopping in place. "_You're there too! Wow! You're so lucky!_"

"_…Hello, Ketlin,_" Cheren said as he adjusted his glasses.

Diane laughed as she waved. "_Yo kiddo._"

"Hey guys!" Ketlin grinned out, hoping off from the boys shoulder as her father came to view "How things going over there?"

"_Ah, we're doing fine, here,_" Diane laughed. "_So how're you doing?_"

"Hehe." Grinning, the girl held up her collection of badges, giving a victory sign as she smirked "Fighting spirit doesn't die out even here you know that!"

Bianca smiled brightly, her eyes alight in wonder. "_Oh wow! Those are so pretty! I wish I could go there, too!_"

Hiiro allowed a laugh. "Well, I could see if I could arrange you guys some passes over when we have the time."

"_Really? YAY!_"

Cheren merely nodded. "_Thank you._"

"No prob."

"Hehe, you should have seen our fights lately things really get interesting with the gym rules…way too many puzzles though," the girl grumbled out.

Alex allowed a small laugh, before he turned to the group on the other side of the screen. "Anyway, I was wondering, Diane, could you send over some footage from our musical performances? I promised Hiiro here I'd show them how they work."

"_Eh? Oh, sure. One second,_" the girl quipped as she moved off-screen for the moment.

"Hehe yeah, Hiiry needs it, he's got four left feet," Ketlin grinned out

"Ugh… so I'm not too good with music… sue me…" Hiiro grumbled.

Alex merely shook his head, before turning back to the screen. "Hey, Noel, you alright?"

"_…Yeah, I'm fine,_" the green-haired youth said softly.

"Merrr, if you don't try with more oomphs I'm gonna reach through the screen an strangle you!" Ketlin threatened, before blinking, snapping her fingers as she returned her attention to the group. "Oh! Just in case, if you guys see Deva try to give a call!"

"_Huh?_" Bianca blinked. "_Why would we… did she get taken away?_"

"Weirder, she ran off."

"_…Ran off… Why would she?_" Cheren asked with a small frown as he adjusted his glasses.

The dual girl shrugged, shaking her head with a sigh. "Beats me, she thought she was holding me back apparently an snuck off for secret training. Wish she left a note or something at least, it was embarrassing when I tried to use her in that gym match an she wasn't there."

"_Aww… why'd she do that?_" Bianca asked with a sad frown, just as Diane came over.

"_We'll keep an eye out for her, Kets,_" the brunette said as she held out a disc. "_Anyway, here's the file, Alex._"

"Thanks, D."

The girl shrugged, grinning as she folded her hands behind her head. "Mew, doesn't matter she didn't say goodbye, so I'm not worried just wondering where the heck she's gonna train."

The girl's father chuckled, ruffling her head with a nod. "Too bad she did though, with her an Natsu, cha might had more fun at tha last match."

"You're telling me, papa."

Diane merely laughed. "_Well, anyway, you guys hang tough over there!_"

"Will do. We'll talk to you guys later," Alex said with a nod.

"_Bye bye!_" Bianca called out with a wave, while Cheren nodded politely and Noel gave a small wave of his own before the connection was cut.

"…What's up with Noel?" Hiiro asked after a moment.

"…Long story, I'd rather not have to explain that now," Alex said after a bit of thought.

"Well he better shape up or I'll be over there to kick his butt in shape again," Ketlin warned, to which Alex laughed as they started walking away from the communicators.

Shaking his head, the silverhead gave the kids a ruffle each, congratulating their latest wins. "Cha runts sure keep surprisen me with how cha taken these Gym battles."

"Hehe, fighting spirit is all you, wooouuuuuuu!" the daughter began, before giving off a long cooing, arching her back a bit with an overly pleased look washing her face.

Just as Ketlin said that, though, someone passed by TJ, bumping into the silverhead's shoulder as he did. "Oh… I apologize. That was unintentional."

Alex and Hiiro glanced over and immediately tensed.

"Aw no prob…lem," TJ muttered, narrowing his gaze at the person with a small nod "…"

The man was obviously an Aether Admin; he was the purple-haired admin who had kept his calm along with Topaz during the meeting, though neither of them could know that, of course. He didn't seem to bothered with the obvious hostility and merely walked over to the communicators, taking the horn off of the hook and dialing.

Hiiro frowned, before he glanced over to Ketlin.

The girl however, had her eyes shut, she wasn't so much focusing on the admin's person himself, but rather, something in the air. "That…smell…it's…"

The admin silently reached into his pocket, fingering something before pressing with his thumb into it a few times. After a little while, he spoke solemnly. "Head for the mines. You have 3 hours to obtain to item we discussed earlier, starting now," and pressed down on the item in his hand one more time. "Do not disappoint us… Nickolas."

With that, the man hung up again and walked away without another word.

Both Hiiro and Alex barely suppressed a gasp when they heard the admin say that name, but they had no words to address the masked man. The girl's father was busy, holding her down and silent before she could cause an uproar. "Kitten shh!

Only once the man had left the center did Hiiro manage to find his voice. "Nickolas… please don't tell me…"

"It is… Nick's full name is 'Nickolas'… this… this can't be just a coincidence…" Alex murmured.

Biting her father's fingers, growling as she whipped her mouth loose while he yelped, Ketlin snarled out "Then let's go after him he knows where he is!"

"It'd be better for us to get to the Opal Mines," Hiiro said almost immediately. "Those are the only mines around here, so right now, that's our only lead."

"Right, let's move!" Alex said with a nod.

* * *

**_Songs used:_**

_Hakurei Reitai Shrine Festival (ISOYS)_

_Anima Libera (DJ Raaban)_

_Kung Fu Beat (Ch!pz)_

_Otherworld (Final Fantasy X, The Black Mages version)_

_Song of the Crow (original creation)_

* * *

**Alexia is copyrighted to me.  
Diane is copyrighted to me and is supposed to represent the female heroine of Unova.  
**


	26. Chapter 25 Opal Mines

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 25: Opal Mines**

* * *

The Opal Mines were located a little to the west of Opal Town, and they covered a wide range, though most of the area was situated underground. The place was practically deserted, but the entrance, which had been sealed off a wooden doorway with a sign saying "NO ENTRY" had been torn down, leading the way into the depths of the mines.

"…Well, _someone_ came through here," Hiiro mumbled.

"Yeah, and we're about to follow" Ketlin growled out, slowly putting her Kamen disguise on. "So what are we waiting for""

"How about some light gear for those who don't see well in tha dark, kitten?" the girl's father warned, going through his bag a bit quickly.

"Hold on…" Alex murmured as he reached into his bag. "I hope no one's arachnaphobic," he quipped, pulling out a Pokéball and releasing the Pokémon inside.

The Pokémon was a large, yellow spider with 6 eyes, four small ones and two bigger ones, dark blue patterns adorning its body and the tips of its feet.

Hiiro blinked and pulled out his Dex, aiming it at the Pokémon.

"**_Galvantula. An EleSpider Pokémon. When attacked, they create an electric barrier by spitting out many electrically charged threads. They employ an electrically charged web to trap their prey. While it is immobilized by shock, they leisurely consume it._**"

"Aww." The girl, minus her mask grinned, pulling up Galvantula up in a hug, nuzzling her nose against the arachnid's forehead. "Aren't you a big sweety huh Galvey? Yush you are!"

The silverhead chuckled, rubbing the back of his head with a nod. "Good thing NJ's not here, he hates spiders…not afraid just really ticked off by em…"

After giving a small chuckle, Alex turned to the Electric type after Ketlin/Kamen had pulled back. "Listen, girl, we have to get through these mines, so I need you to light up our path, alright?"

The spider gave a small chitter, before starting to skitter inside, waiting for the Trainers to catch up. As they were inside, electricity sparked around the Galvantula, before it spread out a Flash that allowed the humans to see where they were going without disturbing the nearby Zubat that hung from the ceiling.

"Right… let's go," Hiiro said with a nod.

Fixing the last bits of her mask, Kamen pulled up her hood, a nod as she took lead a bit in front of Galvantula, not effected the least by her own shadow blocking most of her view. The girl's father frowned, taking something from the bag into his hand, following along with the group, his attention turning from the supports and the local Pokémon. "Hm, not really disturbed, that's an improvement from tha last caves with these guys…"

Alex was silent as he walked, looking back and forth as he attempted to find something out of place. But nothing seemed to be particularly wrong. "…Strange… Besides the entrance, there's no sign of anyone being here…"

Hiiro said nothing as he kept going, briefly closely his eyes and allowing his mind to link with those of a few nearby Pokémon. But that got him just as little results as looking around did. "…where are they?"

"Something doesn' feel right," TJ growled out, keeping his eyes alert. "An why would tha guy be callen Nick from a public phone…"

"…Wait…" Alex whispered, stopping in his tracks. "…did you hear that?"

As they waited and listened, a rumble came from somewhere up ahead, followed by the sounds of a battle.

"…Someone's there…" Hiiro murmured.

The masked girl didn't bother stopping, picking up her pace for the source of the battle sounds. "What are you guys waiting for come on!" she called back as her image disappeared into the darker depths of the mine.

Alex sighed, but hurried after with Galvantula, Hiiro and TJ right behind him.

As they approached, the sounds of battle became louder and louder, and the area around them rumbled ominously. As they rushed on, there was an animalistic roar, followed by a cry of what sounded like an Eeveelution - as well as a scream of pain.

"…! That was Rachel!" Hiiro cried out.

"Rachel? What is she doing here?"

"Who knows right now we better hurry dammit where did…"

As they turned around the corner, they stopped dead as a powerful rumble echoed through the cave and numerous rocks came down and blocked one of the routes they could have taken from there. But before they could start to try and get through, Hiiro choked in surprise and horror.

"Rachel!" he cried out, rushing toward the girl's side where she lay on the ground, her Espeon laying beside her, knocked out. The girl was hissing in pain as she struggled to move, but found herself unable to move as she was carefully pulled up by the boy. "What happened? Why are you even here?"

"…N…Nick…" the girl choked out. "…he… he's… here… but… he's… urgh…" Rachel hissed as she reached for her chest, shaking in pain.

Alex frowned as he crouched down as well, using a Revive on the Espeon to get the Pokémon back up. "Who did this to you?"

"Dammit, here, lay her on this for a second" TJ said, pulling out some spare cloths from his bag, putting it down like a makeshift pillow, looking about for some of his gear from his bag

Hiiro lightly placed her upon the clothes, watching as the girl gasped through her teeth, trying to get air into her lungs without experiencing pain. Her Espeon moved over and whined a little, licking at the girl's cheek.

Alex looked around for a moment. "…Did Ketlin get so far ahead of us already?"

"Looks it, probably chased tha one responsible," TJ muttered, looking over the girl with a frown. "Hm…"

"How bad is it, TJ?" Hiiro asked.

"It's not good, looks like at least a rib's cracked. Rachel, listen, try to take calm, steady breaths for now alright? Better get somethen like a splint or somethen might have a fracture in her back too…" the silverhead grit out, starting to pull some rope and supplies from his bag. "I can take her outta here in a nano don't worry bout us."

"Are you sure?" Alex asked. "It's a long way back, and without Galvantula, it'll be almost impossible to see if you head back."

"Tom can lead my way with his nose." The silverhead nodded, quickly waving the pair off. "Right now somethen bad's goen down in here and we'd be in tha way right now an I'm tha one with experience this kinda stuff, so cha two go on an help Ket!"

The two boys were silent for a moment, before they looked at each other and nodded. Getting up as one, they gave the older Trainer a quick nod, before they started rushing off, with Alex's Galvantula leading the way.

* * *

The masked girl snarled, rushing along the darkness with ease, if anything she seemed even more active, feral almost as she looked around. "Where are you, hurting someone then rushing off like…"

As she said that, though, an echo resounded from up ahead as someone moved a bunch of rocks, before steady footfalls followed it, moving gradually away from her.

Hearing that, the masked girl growled, rushing after the footsteps, jumping about the rocks snarling out "Get back!"

But the footsteps did not stop, they just kept going regardless, undeterred. But as the girl got closer, a familiar scent assailed her nostrils.

"…NOW I'M MAD!" the masked girl snarled out, speeding up with renewed vigor. "GET BACK HERE SO I CAN KICK YOUR BUTT, NICK!"

Finally, though, the footsteps halted, and as Kamen Trainer came close, she could see a single person standing there, carrying what looked like a torch in his left hand and wearing the typical Aether Grunt uniform, so to say. He faced away from her for the moment, but after a moment more, he turned around without a word.

"…"

"Seriously how much of an idiot are you for this! Going to work for these creeps, hurting people? What is wrong with you!" the masked girl snarled out, he fists clenching so tight they risked bleeding.

"…"

The boy just looked at her from behind his mask, the little that was visible of his face not giving away anything. He merely stood there and watched her, completely indifferent.

"Did you do that to the girl…"

"…"

The masked girl looked to him, before, slowly, she began to shift, rearing her feet at the heels, she was readying for a kick "Guess you took your steps…wrong way or not…"

"…" The boy still refused to answer, not even seeming to care about what she was saying.

The girl didn't say anything else herself, before rounding out, sending a kick that launched her Pokéball flying from her heels, a flash, and the Fire/Fighting pig Pokémon was launched out, snarling angrily as he stomped into the floor. "PIIIGNITTE!"

"…"

"We're going to beat you down, an drag you back, Nick…" the masked girl growled, her and Natsu's neck giving a snap as they jerked the joints suddenly.

Nick watched the Fire/Fighting type for a moment longer, before he brought up his right arm and flexed his hand, causing a Pokéball to drop into his hand, before he lightly tossed it forward. The Pokémon that emerged from it was slender, sleek and had an elongated body covered by jade scales, and several spines were protruding from its back, shoulders and ankles. It had a thin set of wiry antenna protruding from along the inner workings of its nose, coiling around horned 'ears'' to hang down by neck, and its eyes were a pale golden. Its tail was long and thin with several spine like tips protruding along the end.

"…Deal with them… then come find me…" Nick said solemnly, then turned on his heel and continued the way he had originally been going.

The masked girl blinked, her own Pokémon looking a bit in surprise, before she snatched up her PokéDex, looking at the screen as she flipped it open to the new Pokémon. "What the…"

"**_Shenleon. A Regal Dragon Pokémon. The energy from being traded caused the dragon scale to radiate, triggering this mutation in Eevee's Genes to evolve. Its sleek and thin body hides a great strength of dragon muscles, exampled mainly through its flexible and highly coordinated tail, which is said to have enough muscle strength to topple an Onix in a single swing._**"

And no sooner had Dex finished or the Shenleon was upon Natsu within the time it took him to blink, smashing its head into Natsu's gut and throwing the Pokémon back to skid across the ground.

"PIG!/GAH!" the Pokémon/trainer yowled out, skidding back from the impact with a wheeze. "That hurt I'll admit…not stopping us…get out of the way, Shenleon!"" Kamen Trainer snarled, Natsu rushing forward with a series of thrusts.

But Shenleon moved aside and lashed out with its tail at Natsu's back, smashing the Pokémon into the ground and shattering the rocks beneath him.

The pair yowled again, wincing from strike to their backs. "Ugh…why always…the back?" Ketlin heaved out, gritting her teeth as Natsu began to push himself out with a growl, looking to the Dragon type Eeveelution. "I know dragons are tough…"

Shenleon took a short breath, before exhaling a pulse of energy that slammed into Natsu and knocked him back.

"NIITEE!" Natsu shouted, twitching a bit from the dragon pulse attack, it was a wonder him, or Ketlin for that matter, was still conscious as he tried to pull himself from the stone wall. "Piiig…niiite…"

"Nurgh…wha…what the…heck…" The masked girl panted, gritting her teeth as she looked to Shenleon. "This is…really starting…to tick us off…"

Before Shenleon could leap for Natsu again, a shining web suddenly flew at it and sent the Pokémon flying back with a yowl as electricity ripped through it.

"Kamen!" Alex called out as he came up beside the girl. "Are you okay? What happened!"

"Grunt…Aether…it was Nick…that's his Pokémon," the masked girl hissed, straightening herself back to her feet, Natsu doing so as well though it was an obvious strain on both. "He's…getting himself…time to get out of here."

Hiiro stepped up beside them as well, looking over to the Shenleon as it broke free from the web, flexing its claws a few times. Hiiro's eyes flashed blue for a moment, unseen by Alex and Ketlin, before he opened his mouth and spoke. "Shadow Pokémon…"

"Shadow wha…?"

"I was afraid of that…its attacks…" Ketlin hissed, shaking her head as she gripped onto Hiiro's shoulder for support, Natsu snarling as flames began to build from his nostrils. "Gotta…hit it hard…fast…"

"But… Dragons are only weak against-"

"…Let me get this straight; this Pokémon won't hesitate to harm us, right?" Alex asked suddenly.

"Huh? Y-yeah…" Hiiro said slowly. "What are you…?"

"It won't stop…till we're down…or it's down…" Ketlin growled out

"…Then I guess I have no choice… Good thing this place is so big…" Alex mumbled, reaching for his belt and pulling out an Ultra Ball. "Time for some more action… Let's do this, Reshiram!" he shouted, throwing the Ultra Ball forward as Galvantula hurried back to his side.

"Reshi-wasn't that?" Hiiro choked out.

But before he could finish the thought, the Pokémon materialized, its white body glowing so brightly that it lit up the entire cave, and even if that didn't, its 'tail' did when it flared up a vicious fiery red. It had large, powerful wings with claws attached to them, its body was covered in what looked like hair, but it seemed smooth like scales, its eyes were a bright blue in contrast to the fire it obviously controlled. It let out a cry as it spread out its wings wide and stared down the Eeveelution that seemed like an ant to it.

"Take a dragon with a dragon," the masked girl muttered, recalling Natsu, snapping her back with a wince as she nodded. "Ooh, better for now…"

"Th-this is Reshiram?" Hiiro choked out, actually taking a step back in awe.

"Gawking…later," Kamen trainer said, gritting her teeth to the Eeveelution with a nod. "Better get to it, Lexicon."

"On it!" Alex said with a nod. "Don't let him fool you with his size, Resh! This Pokémon won't hesitate to do serious damage!"

"Its attacks will hit you with everything, even if you were strong enough to negate it it'll hurt!"

Just as the girl shouted that, the Eeveelution snarled out, and took a deep breath, before exhaling a powerful burst of wind. Reshiram winced slightly in pain, but it merely glared down at Shenleon. Its tail almost seemed to flare up with more and more fire, before it opened its mouth and released a powerful blast of air that slammed into the Eeveelution.

The Legendary's Dragonbreath was, by far, stronger than the Shadow Pokémon's, and actually launched it into the wall with a howl.

Biting her lip, the masked girl growled: "…don't stop…"

Shenleon somehow managed to get back up, shaking its head briefly before glaring to Reshiram. It let out a snarl as dark energy spiraled around its claws.

"…! No! Don't let that hit!" Hiiro shouted, but it was too late…

Shenleon was instantly upon Reshiram and dug its claws into Reshiram's throat - and the Legendary actually howled in pain.

"Resh!" Alex shouted in alarm. "What-what kind of move? Gah! Never mind! I hate having to use this… BLUE FLARE!"

Hearing that, Kamen Trainer quickly grabbed Hiiro, pulling him down as the legendary's attack got ready

Reshiram looked back briefly, before snarling and letting out a cry, the flames on its tail flaring an intense, but beautiful, blue flame that soon engulfed the two Pokémon, before it detonated into a powerful, soundless explosion.

When they could look again, the Eeveelution was on its side, knocked out and not moving any longer.

"Whew… that… was surprising… Resh, are you alright?" Alex called out, hurrying to the large Pokémon's side. The white Pokémon gave a soft call, nodding its head, even though blood was running down its chest. "Shit… no way… Ugh… you better get back to rest," he said softly, bringing up his Ultra Ball and recalling the large Dragon/Fire type.

The masked girl sighed, gritting her teeth as she looked to the fallen dragon type "Shadow Pokémon's attacks…they're nothing like the original version attacks…always hurt…and their power is… as scary as the way you get a Shadow type…"

"…Does it matter?"

At that voice, the trio whipped around to face Nick, who had just come back into the room, still carrying his torch in one hand. The boy said nothing for a moment, before opening his mouth.

"…Power is power… wherever it comes from… does not matter…"

Hiiro frowned a little in thought, before he choked, eyes widening as he stepped back in horror. "N-Nick… y-you… wh-what did you do! What have you DONE to yourself?"

Looking to Hiiro, the masked girl was speechless, before frowning, understanding what he meant. "Nick…you moron…you heartless moron…"

"…" Nick didn't answer immediately, before he spoke in a solemn monotone. "…Does it matter? …I merely disposed of some excess baggage… nothing more…"

Alex frowned, not understanding what was going on, until Hiiro shouted: "Excess baggage? You-you-! You'd go that far? You'd go as far as to lock away your own heart just to escape the pain?"

"Wh-what?" Alex choked out.

"…"

The masked girl's fists tightened more so, shaking her head solemnly. "Shadow Pokémon are made…by sealing their hearts…these guys…figured how to do it to a human…that makes you a shadow person…you idiot…"

Nick didn't even bother to respond, as he brought up his Pokéball and recalled Shenleon. "…I see no more reason to stay here…" he said suddenly, releasing his torch. "…My mission is done…"

And then the torch hit the ground and was extinguished, and the boy moved so fast the group had no time to respond. He was past them and running back the way he had come originally with more speed than should be humanly possible.

"Nick! WAIT!" Hiiro shouted. If Alex hadn't been there, he would have considered trying to restrain Nick with his newfound psychic abilities, but with said brunette present, he didn't dare to.

Hissing, the masked girl seemed to drop, using Hiiro as a brace as she growled. "O-ouch…''

"Shit… this is bad…" Alex hissed out as Hiiro caught the girl. "This… this is really bad…

"…We have to get back and tell TJ…"

* * *

Looking up along the waiting area, the silverhead Shonen yelped seeing the boys and his daughter come in, or rather the boys, seeing they had to almost drag Ketlin along as they brought her to the front. "Cha alright?"

"We are… Ketlin, however…" Hiiro murmured.

The girl hissed out, leaning onto the boys' shoulders. Her back was visibly bleeding, from numerous points at that, before she snarled "Just get…a nurse…you guys tell, papa," she hissed out, nodding as her father ushered for someone's attention

"Will do… you just rest, alright?" Alex said as she was helped onto a bed by a few nurses, though they made sure to let them know to keep Ketlin on her tummy for the time being.

Once the girl was out of range, Hiiro turned to TJ. "We have a big problem…"

"What is it…" TJ sighed out, looking the boys over, he was obviously worried, and a little nervous to hear their answers obviously.

"Nick is most definitely with Aether, now…" Alex said with a sigh. "And he's using these… 'Shadow Pokémon'… That's what they're called, right?"

"Yeah…"

Hearing that, the silverhead tensed up, his face boiling over in anger at the news, he managed to mutter out, almost as a deathly whisper: "Shadow…Pokémon…"

"Yes… unfortunately…"

"I don't know exactly what's up with these Shadow Pokémon… but it managed to seriously injure Resh enough that he actually cried out from the pain," Alex said. "And you know him; not even a Fusion Bolt can make him do that."

"He partly gets empowered from it," TJ growled, but looked down, anger and regret mixing in his face "A Shadow Pokémon has its heart sealed, it's like a machine. It only thinks to attack, to destroy…it doesn't care about itself anymore either…"

"…Then… Nick is…"

"…yes…" Hiiro said with a slow nod.

"…shit…"

Looking the pair over, TJ blinked in confusion, before absolute cold dread began to come to his face. "No…not him."

Hiiro nodded once again, before he spoke the words he had been dreading to say ever since they left the mines;

"Nick's had his own heart locked away."

The elder Shonen's body shook, before finally, his fist lashed out, smashing into the wall as his teeth ground together. "Dammit!"

Neither of the boys spoke at this point. There was nothing they could say to make this situation any better than it was.

The silverhead was silent, fuming in anger and frustration, before looking over, frowning to the boys, before turning to one specifically. "Hiiro… I need to see cha father…" He began, before the nurse called him over, nodding as he made his way to find some news from her.

"…" Hiiro didn't say anything, before he sighed softly and adjusted his cap. "…damn."

"…What's wrong?" Alex asked.

"…No… it's nothing… forget it…" Hiiro mumbled softly.

Alex looked at Hiiro for a long moment, before he rubbed the back of his head, looking down the hallway. "…You wanna get something to drink?" he asked, pointing to the vending machine up ahead.

"Huh? …Oh, yeah… sure…"

* * *

It wasn't long before the two boys were sitting on a pair of chairs, sipping their own can of soda and just staring ahead of them silently. Alex was leaning back, his legs stretched out before him and the hand not holding his can placed leisurely on his opposite hip. Hiiro was sitting straight, his legs partly spread apart and holding his can in both hands with just his fingertips, occasionally spinning it around with the pads of his fingers.

They were just sitting there, quietly contemplating, with Eevee sprawled out over Hiiro's lap happily, nuzzling into his Trainer's stomach.

Alex looked over for a moment and smiled. "It's been a while since I've had a Pokémon like that," he said suddenly, making Hiiro look up.

"Huh?"

"My current team exists of Pokémon who're too big to fit. I'd just get smushed," Alex explained calmly.

"Ah." Hiiro nodded briefly and reached down to pet Eevee. The small Pokémon yowled happily, tail wagging happily.

"…Hey, what's your dad like?" Alex asked suddenly, making Hiiro look up in surprise.

"Excuse me?"

"Well," the Unova Trainer said as he looked into his can and lightly spun it around, making the liquid inside slosh about a bit. "I've never really had a father as far as I remember… he left mom when I was really young, so…" Giving a shrug, he mumbled: "I was kinda curious what it was like. Having a dad, and all…"

Hiiro didn't respond for a long moment, before he turned back to his drink. "…wish I knew…"

"Huh?"

"…my old man… I can't say I have any fond memories of my time living with him…" Hiiro murmured softly. "All I remember is that he kept me inside the house the whole time because I had a weak heart. Mom… I didn't even know why she never came with us. He never really told me anything. Didn't even tell me that my heart was so weak I could drop dead any given day…"

Alex actually stared for a few moments, and more so when Hiiro leaned back and pulled up his shirt until Alex could see the scar tissue on his chest. "Transplant… so, you're alright now?"

"Should be…" Hiiro dropped his shirt and leaned back with a heavy sigh. "But the point is… because of my 'old heart'… my old man kept me locked up in the house. I couldn't even go outside to get some sun." Hiiro paused to bring up his arm, looking at the skin. He was still pale, though a little less so now that he'd been out and about for a while. "I finally got out… somehow… and I don't ever want to go back to my old man… ever…"

"…" Alex was quiet for a long moment, before he murmured: "Old man… you really hate him that much?"

* * *

The father Shonen growled, looking around as he walked down the hallways, frowning as he searched around for the two boys. "Tha heck did…"

"Old man… you really hate him that much?" Alex's voice suddenly asked from the hall he had just passed.

"…what do you mean?" Hiiro asked after a moment.

His ear giving a rather sudden wiggle, the silverhead turned his attention for the hallway, at least the side of his head, frowning as he shut his eyes to listen.

"You keep addressing your father with 'old man'. The only people who address their dads like that are people who, at some point, hold a grudge against them. Well, I can't say I blame you after all that… but really, is it fair for you to be acting like this?"

"…What are you getting at?"

"…If you ask me, he was just looking out for you. He's probably been worried sick since you ran off, too."

Sighing, the silverhead shook his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose, before heading to the sound of the voices. "…"

"…So that gave him a reason to lock me up?"

"I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that the reason he was acting the way he did, was only because he worried for you."

TJ stopped briefly, looking to the floor as the other boy became silent, dreading the thoughts that were obviously bothering Hiiro at the moment.

"…your name's Lionel, isn't it?"

Blinking in surprise, TJ looked ahead, that was catching him off guard as much as it would do Hiiro.

"…! Huh? H-how did you?"

"This," Alex said as there was the sound of paper rustling. "I happened to spot one of these while I was exploring Diamond City after you guys went ahead. It wasn't too well hidden under a bunch of other posters. Whoever posted over them, clearly didn't feel like tearing the old ones down."

"…you… you knew all this time?"

"Yeah…"

"…Why didn't you…?"

"Well… Seeing you make such an effort to keep who you are from TJ and Ketlin… I didn't want to put all that effort to waste."

"…I see…"

"Look, I'm not going to call and say I found you, but I am going to say that you should try and work things out with your dad. I mean, he's your dad, after all. Like it or not, he's one of the people who gave you your life. I'm not saying you have to start getting all friendly with him if you don't want to, but at least talk to him. Maybe you can then see things from his side as well."

"…"

Taking his breath, the silverhead walked over, giving a knock on the wall with a nod. "Oiy, been looken for cha two."

"Huh? Oh, TJ. Sorry, we went to get something to drink," Alex said as he raised his can.

Hiiro merely glanced over before focusing back on his own can, absently petting Eevee with his other hand.

Alex looked over to Hiiro for a moment, before he stood from his seat. "How's Ketlin?"

"Hmm" Blinking, TJ shook out of it, nodding with a slight irritated groan. "She'll be fine, she almost kicked tha nurse's teeth out…"

Alex allowed a small laugh. "Somehow I'm not surprised… How long's she gonna take here?"

"Doctor said she'll be alright ta go in a few hours, soo…"

"Meaning she'll be fighting to get out in a few minutes, right?" Alex chuckled out.

"Fraid so," TJ chuckled a little, looking over to Hiiro briefly, before returning to Alex. "Can cha make sure she stays in bed for tha nano?"

"…Sure," Alex said with a nod, walking down the hall as he took a sip from his can.

The silverhead watched, giving a small nod and smile, before his face became more serious again, turning to the other boy quietly. "…Hiiro."

"…don't wanna talk 'bout it…"

"Cha don' have to, jus listen for now…its past cha old man right now…"

"…" Hiiro didn't bother to look up, silently looking at his own drink.

"Hiiro…I'm gonna have to leave cha guys" TJ said simply

"…! Wha…! What do you mean?" Hiiro asked in surprise, looking up to TJ in slight alarm.

Sighing, the silverhead began to lean down, reaching Hiiro's level with a frown, avoiding the boys eyes in turn. "I need to figure some things out…I need a lab I can work in for tha though…"

"…so that's why…?"

TJ nodded, solemnly patting the boy's shoulder. "I jus need cha ta ring him for me, he doesn't have ta know cha put me on tha line…I need a lab tha can have a secured line, specially to cha grandfathers coms. Tha only one in tha entire region I can figure would have tha is cha father."

"…oh…" Hiiro was silent for a moment, looking down for a moment.

"…? Veeee?" Eevee called out, looking up to TJ questioningly.

Smiling a little weakly, the older adventure reach down, rubbing the morphic evolution Pokémon's head silently "I…Part of this mess is soiled inta my hands. Frontlines isn' wha my conscience needs me ta be to at least start ta make things right."

"Veevee! Veeveeveee!" Eevee yipped out rapidly, making Hiiro blink, before he chuckled.

"My Eevee's rusty, wha he say?"

"'It's not your fault. You shouldn't have to take the blame'."

"Vee!"

Chuckling with a smile, the father Shonen's fingers began to playfully scratch the small Pokémon's head "Thanks Eev, I know it. But still, I'm also one of tha few people who saw tha foundation to these experiments, if there's gonna be anythen ta make a dent in it, I gotta get tha old jack mac head burnen."

Eevee pouted, but said nothing else. Hiiro sighed softly, before he looked up. "Does Ketlin know?"

TJ looked to the boy, giving a serious look as he muttered "Tha doctor was tending to her back with sharp instruments in range…would cha?"

"…Touché." Sighing once more, the boy picked up Eevee as he stood and said: "Where's the phone around here?

Nodding, the silverhead stood, patting the boy's back as they began to make their way. "Besides, this wasn' tha first time she's gone without me. Heck, she snuck out for her first Pokémon adventure kinda like cha did."

"…she did?" Hiiro asked curiously.

"Yeah, scared tha slag outta me. Wings wasn to worried…till I reminded her that Ketlin might revert an start biten people again…" the silverhead muttered a bit abstant mindedly

Hiiro allowed a small laugh, before they reached the phones. "…I'm not talking to him… not yet…"

"Cha don' have to," TJ nodded

After giving one last sigh, Hiiro picked up the horn, and pressed several buttons in rapid succession, listening to it ring once before handing it to TJ and moving out of range.

Giving a nod of thanks, the silverhead propped his elbow to the wall, rubbing the side of his head a bit with his hand as he leaned into it. "…Gar?"

"_Shonen. Wasn't expecting to hear from you again…_" Gary said, a bit absently. "_Look, can we make this quick? I got another line open here._"

"I'm coming in to use cha lab."

"_…Excuse me?_"

Sighing, the silverhead frowned "Gary, I just saw a 'Shadowed' human"

"_…You saw WHAT?_"

"Oiy I'm older I ain't deaf yet," TJ growled, but went on. "Unfortunately, yeah…someone figured how ta use tha process on human beings…an it's dangerously effective…"

"_…shit…_" Gary hissed out. "_One second._" Gary pushed off from the desk, disappearing to the side with the sound of his chair rolling across the floor, which was followed by some typing, before he came back on and tapped another button.

"_Gramps, we got a problem._"

The silverhead's eyes went a bit wide, hearing an all to familiar aged voice on the other side

"_Hm? What do you mean, Gary? Did something happen?_"

"_Yeah… and you're not gonna like it…_" Gary mumbled.

TJ nearly ended up shouting a bit, but managed to cough, calming himself down the last moment. "Sam?"

"_Huh, that voice…Ah! TJ? That you?_" the aged voice chuckled warmly. "_Long time no see, thanks for the honey by the way._"

"Cha welcome, cha owe tha boy it really…ah right business sorry…somethen serious," TJ muttered quickly rubbing his neck. "Sam…they've found a way ta shadow people…"

There was a pause, and a small, but obviously horrified gasp along with a clatter of a ceramic upon the ground along the other side of the line, before Professor Oak choked out "_WHAT?_"

"_Told ya you wouldn't like it…_" Gary sighed out.

"_This, this is horrible! Monstrous even!_" the professor began to stammer, even trying to hold back a growl of both anger, but mostly, disappointment. "_Are you certain?_"

"I'm certain enough ta be heading over ta Gary's ta work with cha guys' at tha lab."

The old renown professor paused, sighing in a small frown. "_Using your name, definitely serious and bad…_"

"_You're telling me…_" the redhead mumbled, rubbing his temples with his eyes shut.

"…" Hiiro remained leaning against the side of the phone. Whether he was actually listening or not wasn't certain, but he didn't look ready to move.

"Sam listen, I'm in Gary's region, I'll be by his place at tha least 2 days, think cha can call tha misses for me ta get my old research papers to cha lab?"

Shaking out of his reverie, the older professor nodded. "_I'll ask her to have it sent by Charizard post if I have to, we'll have it when you get there._"

"Good," TJ nodded, sighing as he gave his face another rub. "Ugh, Sam how do cha pull off haven tha strength for this all these years?"

"_Pokémon Poetry of course!_"

The silverhead nearly fell into the wall from the comment, sighing as he straightened himself out. "Ugh."

"_Geez, Gramps… c'mon…_" Gary sighed out.

"_You two scoff, but trust me it works, besides. When things get gloomy as this, you have to find the strength to smile alongside your Pokémon or you'd never be able to take a step,_" the old professor smiled, allowing the sagely advice to sink in.

"…cha gonna break out tha other half of tha poem on us?"

"_…erm…_" Oak muttered, scratching his chin a little "_Maybe later?_"

Hiiro was silent, still, not showing any visible response to the conversation. Eevee, on the other hand, was more than curious and wriggled out of Hiiro's grip to jump over in front of the screen with a happy yip. "Gah! Eevee!" Hiiro hissed out.

Gary blinked when he saw the small Pokémon. "_What the…? 's He yours, Shonen?_"

"Er, no," TJ frowned, picking up the little Pokémon in his arms. "Starter for friend of my daughter's."

"_That so?_" Gary murmured, looking to the small Pokémon who was now wriggling in TJ's grasp, yipping with his tail wagging. "_Well, at least he's energetic._"

"Cha should see his owner" TJ muttered with a grumble, shaking his head "Be out here but hes with Ketlin she's getten fixed by tha doctors…"

"_Eh? Doctors?_" Professor Oak yelped, blinking in surprise. "_What happened did she almost drown herself again last night?_"

"Shh!…hospital Sam…"

"_Oh, sorry_."

"_…Don't tell me it has something to do with…_"

Shaking it off, the silverhead sighed. "Synched damage, she'll be alright…an partly. Either way I'll be headen over so we can work on somethen about this, I'd sell my soul to any Ghost Pokémon ta get a cure for shadowing right now…"

"Veevee!" Eevee yipped up to TJ.

Hiiro sighed softly and rubbed his forehead with a slight shake of his head.

"_Eevee's right Tensuno, you shouldn't blame yourself,_" Oak piped in with a nod.

Gary briefly shook his head, before he spoke up. "_Anyway, I'll see if I can contact the docs from Orre about that "anti-Shadow" machine they cooked up. Might be able to help us make one for humans… much as I hate the idea of it._"

TJ nodded a bit, frowning as he put the little Pokémon down to the floor. "Right now Gary, of all things ta be made from effecting Pokémon to us? It's right up at tha top of my list next to hyper potions right now…"

"_If only it was that easy…_" the redhead mumbled, as Hiiro bent down to pick up Eevee again.

The old professor and great grandfather sighed himself, crossing his arms as he held his chin. "_If only they chose to stay the path to bring Pokémon and humans together, I do not mind of technology that blinds the barrier between us…but used so heartlessly…_"

Hiiro sighed softly, before he blinked and shut his eyes, hiding the glow coming from them.

'…Hey, Ray? Do you feel…?'

**…yes… the heartless boy's here…**

Hiiro snapped his eyes open and turned to TJ. "TJ!" he hissed softly. "Nick's here! He's in the hospital!"

"I'll pack my things up this side an be right over to cha place Gary so…" the silverhead began, but then tensed, frowning as he began to look about "Be there in a day or so, see cha." He growled, quickly reaching to hang up.

The redhead merely nodded in response, not seeming to have heard Hiiro, and hung up wordlessly as well.

Eevee blinked curiously, looking up to TJ and then to Hiiro, even as the boy started running down the hall, trying to keep as quiet as he could as he tossed his soda can into a trash bin that he passed.

The older adventurer was on the boy's heels, a hand reaching for his pockets, pulling out two Pokéballs and readying them for anything as he gritted his teeth. "Dammit why would he be here then?"

"I don't know…" Hiiro hissed, then stopped as he rounded the corner.

Sitting on one of the couches in the waiting room, was Topaz, holding some kind of stone slab in his bare hand, his coat slung over his shoulders loosely, and Nick was standing a little to the side.

"Huh… so this's it, huh?" Topaz murmured. "Interesting… Good work, kid."

"…" Nick merely nodded in response.

Blinking, TJ growled, getting ready to call out his team looking to the pair. "Hold it!"

Topaz hummed in thought, looking over to TJ. "Oh. You again?" he asked, while Nick said nothing at all.

Eevee frowned angrily and started yipping, making Hiiro cover the small Pokémon's mouth to quiet him.

"I don't know who tha hell cha guys think cha are doen this kind of junk but…tha boy's comen with me right now ta get help."

"You'll have to ask him yourself, I'm afraid," Topaz said with a shrug. "I can't decide that for him."

"…"

The silverhead glared, but quickly turned to the boy in question, sighing. "Nick, cha have ta come with me, what they did to cha…cha need help."

"…I do not need… 'help'…"

"Would you look at chaself, cha been turned into…somethen awful for cryen out loud!"

"…"

"Actually," Topaz said suddenly. "He asked us to."

Glaring, the silverhead bit his lip to try and stifle the curses he wanted to spit out. "A stupid choice in tha long run by a kid who needs help shouldn' be given a noose by strangers simply cause he asked…"

"When one asks a favor, isn't it natural to supply them properly?" Topaz asked simply.

"Not when the favors to turn them into a soulless machine…"

"Favor is a favor," Topaz said with a shrug.

TJ growled at that, barking out "Would cha stay outta this since cha told me ta talk ta him directly already cha sonova…"

The Admin merely chuckled and shrugged.

And Nick remained silent, watching the conversation go on.

"Nick, would cha snap outta it already, cha might think this is helping cha but it isn' for Arceus's sake cha can' even be counted as alive like this!"

"…"

Hiiro growled before he said: "Nick, come on! This is not how to fix a problem like this! There's much better ways to deal with that!"

"…"

The silverhead growled, then sighed, letting a long breath he was holding out before he narrowed his eyes to the boy "Forget it Hiiro…jus like tha name means…he's jus a shadow of a person now…"

"Um, excuse me?" a nurse called out, holding some kind of silver object in her arms. "Sir, we've finished your request."

"Hm? Oh, thank you," the Admin said with a small nod as he accepted the object, which turned out to be a metal arm.

Wordlessly, the Admin shrugged off his coat, revealing that his left arm had been removed at the shoulder, leaving behind what looked like a port of some kind - in which the Admin shoved the metal arm, briefly tensing and hissing as the limb spasmed a few times, a couple of sparks shooting from where the limb connected to his shoulder. After a moment, he let out a short sigh and looked at his synthetic arm, moving the joints a little before he nodded.

"That'll do," he said simply, getting to his feet and pulling on his coat again.

Hiiro frowned as he saw the limb being shoved into joint. 'Synthetic limbs… did he lose his arm in the war?'

The silverhead frowned, slowly placing the two Pokéballs back into storage form, leaving them in his pocket for now as he growled "Just leave now…"

Topaz looked over to TJ, and shrugged. "In a bit… I actually want to… test something."

Hiiro frowned in thought, not sure what he was talking about - before the Admin snapped his fingers and an orb of black energy formed in his hand, which was then thrown at Hiiro.

Instinctively, Hiiro's arm snapped up as he yelped, his eyes flashing blue and stopping the orb an inch away from his hand.

"Hmm… thought so," Topaz chuckled out, ignoring the startled cry from the nurse.

Seeing that, the silverhead eyes glared dangerously "What tha hell!"

"Oh, nothing. Was just testing if your little friend had what I suspected him to have. It seems I was right," Topaz said simply.

Hiiro glared as he set Eevee up on his shoulder and crushed the orb in his hands. "…So you knew?"

"Hmm… yep."

"And if cha were wrong?"

"Does it matter? Though if you must know… then I suppose he could've staid here a little longer." Topaz chuckled, before he placed one hand on Nick's shoulder. "Well, I suppose we'll be off now. Bye-bye."

And then he snapped his fingers and both he and Nick were gone.

"Dammit! He teleported!" Hiiro snarled out.

Hissing, the silverhead's fist smashed into the wall, giving it a pretty decent imprint of his knuckles as his teeth ground together "…"

Hiiro snarled softly, his eyes flaring blue, before a sharp sting in his head made him yowl.

**Enough!** Ray's voice said sternly.

"Okay, okay! I get it… urgh… ow… No need to fry my brain, Ray…" Hiiro grumbled, rubbing his temples.

"Veeee…"

The older adventurer growled some, slowly turning his attention to the boy beside him. "I don't like tha fact he was curious about cha abilities…"

"Neither do I…" Hiiro murmured, lightly fisting his hand.

The silverhead sighed, crossing his arms, before he blinked, hearing several nurses rushing around on alert. "Wha tha…slag…"

"Huh?"

"Ketlin, get back here!" Alex's voice called out.

"…Ah."

"NO WAY I'M FINE!" the young Shonen girl growled, rushing on along the hallway, pulling on her shoes and a jacket quickly, going into a baseball slide past a nurse's knees.

Hiiro watched for a moment, before he sighed heavily and shook his head, before the blue glow returned to his eyes. And just as Ketlin passed another nurse, she was suddenly lifted into midair, a pale blue glow surrounding her.

A yelp, and the girl flailed about, hissing as she was held above the ground. "HEY!"

Alex blinked in surprise, before he looked over to Hiiro. "How did you…?"

"Later, okay?" Hiiro mumbled. "Ket… there's something you need to know…"

"If it's I gotta stay in the hospital you're nuts!"

"Could you settle down and listen? Your dad's gonna leave us!" Hiiro exclaimed with a bit of agitation lining his voice.

"…I was gonna wait till she was out of tha hospital an a better mood Hiiro…" TJ said, with a frown as the girls eyes began to narrow. "Bad move…"

"She's gonna figure out anyway…" Hiiro said with a slight sigh.

"!"

Alex winced. "Ket… hospital…"

The girl didn't seem to hear, or at least care, starting to flail so madly through the air it was a wonder she didn't somehow manage to use a Flying type's Gust attack "What's the big idea, Papa!"

"Ugh, kitten please calm down alright?"

Hiiro sighed and lifted his hand, then tilted his fingers up, causing Ketlin to be lifted up until she hung upside down in the air.

"Could you please calm down, Ketlin?" he asked calmly.

"Calm down, papa's leaving! Why!"

Sighing, the silverhead frowned, looking up to his daughter shaking his head. "I have ta do some important stuff in a lab I can' do it walken around with cha guys"

"…" Hiiro merely watched the girl, using one hand to keep his focus on keeping the girl in the air.

"…Is this about those Shadow Pokémon?" Alex asked softly.

"Yeah, a bit…" TJ looked down solemnly

"Oh, why didn't ya just say so then?" Ketlin said simply, as if she wasn't running like a wild animal a second ago. Which lead the girl's father to fall into the floor from surprise.

"You calmed down, now?" Hiiro asked casually.

"Sure."

Nodding, Hiiro flipped her back around and set her down on the ground once more.

Growling as he got up, the silverhead looked his daughter over, frowning a little curiously to the rather sudden change, even by the young Shonen's standards.

"So what's this mean about us then? We go on without you, papa?" She asked, still seemingly calm as ever.

"Er…well yeah."

Alex sighed softly. "Well… I'm not going to ask… but, anyway, maybe we should get ready to leave for the desert, huh?"

"Yeah, someone needs ta pack a lill extra," TJ frowned out

Blinking, the girl looked between the group, before she spotted her father's gaze to her. "…eh, me?"

"Get somethen to cover cha back 'til it heals or cha'll pop stitches again."

"True… In that heat, it's probably not good to expose your back to that just yet…" Alex pointed out with a nod.

Giving another growl and pout, the girl began to walk off, passing a nurse who winced and hopped away from her quickly. Given the imprint of a slipper on the woman's face, it was easy to tell why.

Alex sighed. "Well, guess we're going soon, huh?"

"…Actually, there's something else I need to do before that… I'll be back," Hiiro said, before hurrying down the hall.

"…huh?"

TJ blinked, looking just as surprised by Hiiro's sudden action. Shaking it off, the silverhead gave a nod to Alex "Common, I gotta get packed for my trip anyway"

"Roger."

* * *

**Shenleon was created and is copyrighted by TJ Shonen.  
**


	27. Chapter 26 Opal Desert Ruins

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 26: Opal Desert (Ruins)**

* * *

The Opal Desert existed almost entirely out of sand, with only a few rocky outcroppings that offered little shade. A tramline ran through the desert and one of the carts stood ready at the edge of Opal Town. There was a beaten path as well, with several heavy metal rods with lights stuck up along the edge to keep people on the right track if they chose to walk. The horizon seemed to be rippling because of the heat, and the sky was entirely clear.

"Damn… this place is hot…" Alex murmured, wiping some sweat from his brow.

Hiiro merely watched the sands before him, seemingly lost in thought.

The girl of the group frowned, tugging along a cape along her shoulders with a glance back, accurately to her father as she nodded. "Sure you're gonna leave?"

Chuckling, the silverhead nodded, tossing a large pack along his back with a shrug. "Fraid so, jus try to avoid fighten unnecessarily, henshined or not."

Alex nodded. "Don't worry, TJ. We'll keep an eye on her. Right, Hiiro? …hm?"

Hiiro didn't respond; he just kept staring across the desert solemnly.

Looking to the boy beside her, Ketlin growled, before promptly shouting in his ear "HIIRY WAKE UP!"

"Huh! Wha…?" Hiiro blinked in surprise, before looking to the others. "Um… I'm sorry… what?"

Chuckling the silverhead gave a nod, saluting with two fingers as he began to walk away. "Cha guys jus take it easy, don't strain chaselves an all tha. Cha an Ketlin especially, Hiiro."

Hiiro was silent for a moment, before he nodded. "Yeah…"

Alex looked to the boy for a moment, frowning, but said nothing.

Just then…

"_Sing sing sing… The crow sings tonight…_"

"You again? You stalking me?" Ketlin muttered, quickly turning to the voice

The boy looked over from where he had come and from where he had been walking back into town. "Hmm…? Oh, hi hi," he chirped with a creepy smile as his Murkrow settled on his shoulder. "I didn't see you there…"

"…Who's he?" Alex asked, confused.

"…Oh… right… I never said, huh?" the boy allowed another creepy smile. "I'm Crow of Andromeda. Nice to meet you."

The second he said that, Hiiro tensed sharply and nearly backpedaled in alarm.

"Andromeda…?" Alex asked with a small frown.

Blinking, the girl of the group looked over to Hiiro, raising an eyebrow at his behavior. "Huh? What's wrong, Hiiry?"

Crow cocked his head, allowing an icy chuckle. "First time seeing one like me, huh Gem-boy?"

"…!" Hiiro didn't speak. He seemed struck by some kind of fear that had rendered him completely immobile.

"Hiiro…?"

"The heck's wrong with you Hiiry, sure he's creepy but he's not that creepy," Ketlin muttered out, looking to Crow' simply.

The small boy merely gave a small chuckle. "Hah ha ha… I should be going… one night out there's enough for me… bu-bye!" he chirped, and walked back into town, picking up the song where he'd left off. "_Sing sing sing… The crow's voice calls out…_"

Hiiro watched him go for a moment, before he slowly choked out: "An…drome…da…?"

"Hiiro, what's wrong? What's this 'Andromeda'?" Alex asked in worry.

"Er…" Ketlin blinked, looking at the stammering boy, starting to get a little worried. "Yeah…that's what he said…what's wrong with being an Andramadas?"

"An… Andro…" After a moment, Hiiro took in a deep breath, held it, and then let it out before he said: "Andromeda was the island that declared war on the Gem Archipelago and caused the Great War."

"So?"

"People from Andromeda…they're…" Shaking his head, Hiiro seemed to be unable to think of what to say for a moment. "…they're people who fight against Pokémon with their bare hands… for food…"

"…! Wh-what?" Alex choked out.

Hiiro only nodded slowly.

"Eh…cause their hungry?" Ketlin blinked out, still seemingly as confused as ever

"Sometimes not even…" Hiiro murmured. He stayed quiet for a moment, before he abruptly smacked himself to his head with both hands. "Gah! Anyway! Let's move already and get this over with!"

Alex blinked, but merely nodded and followed after the other boy as he headed out into the desert.

The girl frowned, following after with a tug to her new cape, pulling a hood over her head with a sigh. "Don't get it, don't you guys eat anything here too?"

"Can we just drop the subject, Ket?" Hiiro mumbled softly as he walked, pulling his cap down to cover his eyes with shadow.

"If you say so, just wondering why you're so spooked by him, not like he was in the wars, or is gonna eat you or me," she pointed out.

**He certainly had the thoughts of one going through him,** Ray's voice suddenly resounded through Ketlin's head. **It seems he finds you to be 'delectable'.**

'Heh, as if he could tenderize me,' Ketlin's mental voice echoed cheekily, quickly poking at the boy's shadowed face. "Oh yeah, you owe me somethen."

"Huh…?"

"For almost humiliating me at the hospital, you almost showed everyone in the hallway my butt!"

"…Well, then you shouldn't have run off like that…" Hiiro said solemnly.

"…Speaking of, Hiiro, what did Rachel say to you?" Alex asked suddenly, causing Hiiro to stop in his tracks. "Ever since you came back, you've been kinda spaced out."

"…"

"Come on spill it, though don't think you won't owe me later. I know just the thing, to. night. something. Special," the girl grinned out teasingly

"…" However, Hiiro said nothing and just stared down at his feet for a moment, before he started walking again. "…it's not important…" he mumbled.

"Huh? Hey, Hiiro, wait up!" Alex called out.

Growling, the girl picked her own pace up, following alongside Alex. 'So much for getting him embarrassed, he going to be alright there Ray?'

**…I cannot say,** Ray said slowly. **However, I believe this is something you humans refer to as… what was it again? Ah, yes. "Heartbreak".**

'Huh, maybe I should turn up the flirting then that could cheer him up'

**Do as you wish,** Ray responded simply.

Hiiro, in the meantime, didn't seem to hear the conversation, or even care. He was lost in thought, thinking back to the day before…

* * *

_"Rachel…?"_

_"…hmm…? Oh… it's you…"_

_"You could call me by name once in a while, you know?"_

_The girl didn't respond, and merely looked outside wordlessly, her Espeon resting on the bed by her feet. Hiiro sighed softly and walked over to sit down on a chair._

_"You alright?"_

_"…I've been better…"_

_"I'll bet… what were you even doing out there in the mines?"_

_"…got a call saying Nick was sighted around this place…"_

_"So you came to pull him back?"_

_"…yeah."_

_Hiiro fell silent for a moment. He wasn't actively reading Rachel's thoughts, but he could feel her surface feelings clearly; sadness, pain, betrayal, and…_

_"…you really care 'bout him a lot, huh?"_

_"…does it show?"_

_"If you know where to look…"_

_Rachel kept her gaze on the window, staring at something only she could see, and Hiiro struggled not to sigh. He could easily tell where her mind was at, and to be honest, he couldn't believe he ever thought he had the slightest chance to begin with. He barely knew Rachel as a person, so really, what chance did he have?_

_"…We'll go look for him."_

_"…what?"_

_"You're a Gym Leader. You shouldn't run off on your duty as one. Just leave finding Nick to me, Alex and Ketlin. We'll find him and drag him back by his hair if we must."_

_Rachel actually blinked at him, seeming to take in those words, but then her mouth curled up and she started to laugh. Hiiro blinked in surprise, but found her laughing to be surprisingly contagious, and pretty soon he was laughing right along with her. Rachel's Espeon looked up curiously, before glancing over to Eevee as he hopped up onto the bed and sat in front of her with a bright smile._

_"Hahaha… You serious? You'd really pull that brat back home by that spiky head of his?"_

_"Heh… if we must, then yeah. That's exactly what we'll do."_

_"Promise?"_

_"Yeah. Promise."_

_Wordlessly, the two Trainers brought up their hands, and quietly linked their pinkies together, a solemn promise between two people wanting to protect and help someone dear to them, in whatever way they could. And Hiiro said nothing of the pain that ripped through his chest when he realized he had never truly had a chance, and probably never would._

* * *

Suddenly, Hiiro paused. "…Hey, did you hear that?"

Ketlin stopped, sighing as she pulled her hood away with a hiss as the light shone in her face, giving a glance, her hand coming to her ears she frowned. "Hmm…not really…"

"Diglett Dig! Diglett Dig!"

"…Diglett?" Alex murmured, looking around, just as one of said Pokémon popped up right under his foot. "Yike!"

"Diglett!" the little Pokémon chirped.

"Huh, never really got to run into one of you guys before," Ketlin muttered, kneeling down besides the small burrowing Pokémon, reaching her hand out to stroke its head. The tiny Ground type looked up to Ketlin curiously, before it gave another "Diglett!" and disappeared back under ground.

"Huh… interesting…" Hiiro murmured.

"Oh, right papa said these guys could really move like that," the girl frowned, inspecting the hole a bit. "Hmm?"

Alex chuckled as he crouched down as well. "I've never actually seen a Pokémon like this… I've heard of them, but I've never actually seen them."

Hiiro chuckled… before he blinked, shifting his foot a little and looking to the side. As he did, several small rocks began shaking, before they began to skitter across the ground almost violently.

"…Uh-oh…"

Her ears giving a strange twitch, the female adventurer quickly seemed alert. "Eep! Turos!"

"Oh snaps! We gotta get outta range!" Alex cried out, and the others wasted no time in running after the Unova Trainer.

And not a moment after they had dived under a small outcropping, or the thunderous roar of hooves colliding with the ground echoed out above them, before the herd of Tauros leaped down from above them and ran with loud moos and their tails whipping themselves and each other as they rushed ever onward.

"Holy…" Hiiro breathed out, barely audible as they watched the herd dash off.

"Where're they going?" Alex called out.

"That way," Ketlin pointed out obviously to the direction the stampeding Pokémon were racing through. "Way they're moving, almost like something's spooked them or something."

"I wonder what…" Alex mumbled.

Hiiro frowned, before he blinked and looked back. "Huh…? Guys, look," he said, pointing to the rock behind them.

"Hm?" Alex hummed, looking back.

Behind them, carved into the rock was a single emblem that looked like a C, but it had a circle with a dot positioned in it, giving it the impression as though it was staring at them.

The girl blinked for a bit, narrowing her eyes, before it dawned on her what the emblem meant. "Unown C!"

"Why's there one here, though?" Hiiro murmured, running his fingers along the carving. "…Why's it all alone and what's it doing here?"

"Beats me, papa's the one who does archy studies," Ketlin frowned, looking around curiously. "Maybe its spaced from a word?"

"Maybe…" Hiiro murmured.

"Hmm…"

Looking back out, Hiiro nodded. "Looks like the Tauros are go-Ugh!"

**Argh!** Ray nearly howled out. **Wha-what is this?**

"Hiiro!" Alex asked in surprise.

"What is it?" Ketlin yelped, quickly hopping up beside the boy looking around, carefully opening up her senses a bit. "What is it?"

Just as she asked again, though, a single figure jumped down from above the outcropping they were hiding under. He was facing away from them, and didn't seem to notice them. He was a young man with long, stark white hair, wearing a black suit with a long black coat and a red scarf around his neck, and when he turned his head to the side for a moment, it was clear he had a light blue mask covering most of his face.

For a long moment, the young man merely stood there, before he spoke up, seemingly to himself.

"Is it here? … Even further? How can you tell? … Okay, if you say so," he said with a shrug, before he began to walk away, out into the desert.

Hiiro was nearly hyperventilating, holding his heart and head to try and calm down, before he shook his head. "Wha… what the hell? What just… why did I…?"

"Uh, Hiiry? Do I gotta knock you out?" Ketlin asked, looking the boy over curiously, though at times she was turning to where the masked man had walked off

Taking a deep breath, Hiiro shook his head. "I'm okay now… Just… that guy… there's something… off… about him…"

"You mean besides the fact that his shadow was much too large for just him?" Alex asked with a small frown.

"Naw only part of the shadow was his," Ketlin shrugged

Hiiro watched him go for a moment, before shaking his head. "Anyway… he's gone now… Let's go."

"Agreed," Alex said with a nod as they got out.

"Don't you wanna know what they're looking for?" Ketlin asked, holding her arms behind her head a bit with a wince.

"…Not really…" Hiiro mumbled.

Alex was silent for a little longer, before he murmured: "We might have to… you saw the mask, right? Who's to say he's not part of Aether?"

"I don't think he was" the girl muttered herself, rubbing her chin in thought as she followed. "Besides…that Pokémon in his shadow…it's like I know it…"

At those words, both boys looked at her curiously, but didn't question it. They merely shared a look, before they nodded.

"Alright… let's go," Hiiro said with a nod, starting off in the direction the man had gone.

Grinning, the girl went off a bit ahead, giggling as she looked to her traveling companions. "Yanno, for a dragon and psychic you two sure kinda stink around ghosties and the dark."

"I don't mind much, actually…" Alex mumbled.

"Well excuse me that both are types Psychic happen to be horrible against!" Hiiro grumbled as they went.

"Doesn't mean we can't be friends," she said, suddenly leaning in to plant a kiss upon the boy's cheek, rushing ahead again with renewed vigor

"Gah! Ketlin!" Hiiro shouted out, rushing after the girl, with Alex laughing as he followed.

As they did, though, no one noticed how the carving of the Unown they left behind solidified and an Unown came out, watching them go with its single eye.

* * *

"…This is…?" Alex murmured as he crouched down.

They had arrived at what looked like the remains of a large construction, hidden mostly beneath the sand, but several large pillars were set up around the place, some of which had fallen over. Despite that, there was no denying that it must've been a beautiful looking building when it was still in one piece.

"…These must be the ruins of the Opal Desert…" Hiiro mumbled, looking up to the very top, which was still a good few meters above them.

The young girl pulled her hood down, whistling a bit to the ruins in awe. "Papa is sooo gonna be GEMing he didn't stay a little longer…"

"Cynthia's going to like this place, too, probably," Alex mumbled, before he started fishing through his bag. "I know I… ah!" Pulling out a camera, he turned to Hiiro. "Hey, you think it's okay if I took some pictures to show to the rest of the gang?"

"I think it should be okay… Just keep the flash low."

"Will do."

"Hm…maybe this is why there was that Unown mark before…" Ketlin muttered

"Maybe… well, let's go in," Hiiro said with a small sigh, starting to descend the rope ladder that had been set up.

Alex nodded and followed after Hiiro.

"Call when you're at the bottom!"

Hiiro rolled his eyes, but set one foot down and then stepped back. "Okay, we're down!" he called out after Alex stepped off the ladder as well.

"BANZAAIIII!"

"Oh shit!" Hiiro yelped, barely managing to catch the girl, though he did end up biting the dust as well.

"Ouch, darn back ache ruined the drop. Not a bad catch a wet noodle arm Psychic type," Ketlin giggled, giving Hiiro's nose a kiss as she quickly got to her feet again

"Would you stop that!" Hiiro snarled out, climbing back to his feet.

Alex, in the meantime, was looking around and snapping pictures every now and then, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

The girl giggled, looking around as the other off regioner began to snap his photos, looking to the walls curiously. "Hm…what did Papa say now…"

The hall they were in was wide and covered in multiple pictures of ages long past, and several Unown carvings covered the wall. The ground had an aged mosaic that was cracked and seemed ready to fall apart, but still seemed to tell a story of its own.

"This place is really something…" Alex murmured. "Are there actually any Pokémon in here?"

"There might be… I've never heard of it, but there might be…" Hiiro murmured.

"If I remember right…papa said…" the girl muttered, tracing a finger along the markings of Unown carefully. "That these guys…Hm. Fastest way." Clearing her throat, the girl took a breath, before calling out enthusiastically "Scuse me! if any of you are real Unowns, can you come out for a second so we can talk?"

"…"

Silence followed Ketlin's call.

"…Well, that didn't work…" Alex mumbled.

"Either they're really shy or papa's wrong, an figures it's one of the times I don't want him to be wrong," Ketlin grumbled. "Papa told me that Unown could hide right in front of people by melding or something in stone through some dimensiony trick that even psychic-abled minds can't tell."

"…when Lord Celebi left us… these woods we have called home…"

Alex blinked, looking over to Hiiro, who was moving his fingers along the wall, focusing solely on the carvings and walking along the wall, mumbling to himself softly.

"…grass… made way for sand… and all life… began to die…"

The girl looked over, frowning, crossing her arms a bit behind her back, her gaze turning towards the entrance where the rope ladder had lead them from as she sighed. "I'm sorry you guys lost your life filled home…and your friend."

Hiiro didn't seem to hear and started moving along the walls, mumbling softly under his breath as he went.

"Hey, Hiiro, wait up!" Alex called out, hurrying after.

"…the priest… said there was… no reason to worry… to just keep living and pray…"

Her ears twitching, the girl gave a wave, following after the boys quickly with a nod. "Priest?"

As they went on, however, neither of them noticed how several dozen Unown slowly materialized from the walls, watching them go in utter silence as the small group moved on.

"…I think this is earlier…" Hiiro mumbled. "Our home is… in this forest… it is the pride of… Lord Celebi… who granted the priest… power to… to…" Hiiro frowned. "Dammit! Part of the text is missing here!"

"Oh that's just great…"

"Aw come on," Ketlin grumbled, rubbing her head. "Can anyone fill in the blanks then?"

"Maybe if we move a little…!" Suddenly, Hiiro snapped his head to the side, to look past the others. "…what was?"

Alex blinked and looked back, but he saw nothing. "…What's wrong?" he asked when he looked back.

"…I could've sworn I felt… something…" Hiiro murmured.

"Yeah…" Ketlin frowned a bit, shutting her eyes as she took a breath for a moment. "Hm… heh… Okay…"

"…Well, let's move on," Alex said finally.

"Yeah…" Hiiro nodded, and started moving along the halls again.

Ketlin lagged a small bit, giving a glance to the wall, right where Hiiro had stopped reading about the forest of Celebi and the priest. "…"

* * *

As they walked even deeper into the ruins, Alex was forced to pull Galvantula out to provide them with light. It was just that dark down below.

Hiiro coughed briefly. "Ugh… I don't get it, though… If the story's been written on the walls, why are people still questioning what happened here?"

"I guess too many of the pieces were missing…" Alex murmured.

"Maybe they only let people they want to see, see the story" Ketlin added under her breath

"Maybe…" Hiiro murmured, walking along the wall.

However he stopped and whipped around once again. But again, there was nothing behind him.

"…Dammit, this place is making me crazy!"

"I don't think so…" Ketlin muttered, frowning as she gave her shoulders a shiver. "Hate when things do that dimensionally thing."

Alex blinked, snapping another shot. "Well, I don't feel anything… but that doesn't say much, does it?"

Hiiro was silent for a moment, before moving to the wall and studying the carvings.

"…the shaman… often visited… the priest's temple… to pay homage to… Lord Celebi…"

"Oh, so first there's just a priest and now there's also a shaman?" Alex asked curiously.

"It's kinda common for psychics, Lexy."

"Guess so…" Alex mumbled, pulling out a canteen and taking a swig, before walking over and giving it to Ketlin. "Want some?"

She nodded, taking a big gulp from it with a sigh. "Mew, guess things remain complicated for people with weird heads like mine, no matter the date…"

Hiiro walked further a little bit, but, suddenly, he stopped and let out a growl. "Okay, that's IT!" he snarled, whipping around. "I've had enough of you! SHOW UP!" he shouted out.

"Esh, Hiiro, chill ou-eh?" Alex blinked, looking around as a peculiar sound echoed through the air.

"…welp, papa was right again," the girl muttered, handing Alex's canteen back as she followed the sound's source.

"…! Ketlin wait!" Alex called out as he hurried after Ketlin - but just as he did, the stone flooring under Ketlin's feet gave away.

"WAH!"

"KETLIN!" both boys shouted as they hurried forward.

Alex managed to grab Ketlin's arm and Hiiro snagged onto Alex's before he could follow her, throwing back his weight in an attempt to keep them from falling down to the next level.

"Sh-shit! What the hell is up with this place falling apart?" Hiiro hissed out as he carefully moved his feet back.

"It's old stone and no one's taken care of it even Arcs probably gets stiff joints," Ketlin hissed out, grasping at Alex's wrist, swinging her legs to try and find some leverage to help push herself and the boy back up with Hiiro's aid.

"Yeah, but you'd think they'd make places like this to last…" Alex grumbled as he tried not to move around too much while Hiiro pulled him and Ketlin back. Last thing he needed was the other boy to lose his grip.

But just as they managed to get to a bit of "safe ground", the ground beneath Hiiro and Alex's feet cracked and then gave away and sent all three of them tumbling down into the depths below.

"WHOA!"

"YAAH!"

"NUUUTS!" Ketlin howled out, gripping both boys' arms as they fell.

As they fell though, something began to trickle at the back of their minds, and when they looked up, they realized that they were surrounded by what had to be over a dozen different Unown. They all had a mysterious glow coming from them, but whatever they were doing, it was soon lost upon them as their eyes fell shut.

"…wha… what's… going… on…?" Hiiro mumbled before he lost consciousness.

"…Hii…ro… don't… stay… a…" But Alex's words failed him as he, too, fell into unconsciousness.

The young girl herself was not faring better, struggling a bit herself to remain awake. Before finally her own world went black in kind.

* * *

Hiiro snapped his eyes open suddenly - and blinked in confusion, holding his head with a groan. "…What? What just… huh?" Looking to his hand, he was surprised to see that his skin was well-tanned, more so than he had ever thought possible. And upon close inspection, he was wearing some sort of outfit he had only seen in pictures in history books. A pure white robe and golden bracelets clattered together around his wrists, while similar styled anklets rested around his ankles, just above his bare feet. He also had numerous trinkets secured on a chain around his neck, as well as a choker that felt highly uncomfortable.

"…Why do I look like a priest…?"

"Uugh, not so loud Hiiry I was dreaming about…" Ketlin hissed, slowly sitting up as she rubbed her head. "…wait a minute…"

"…Ketlin?" Hiiro asked, blinking stupidly as he looked to the girl in question. "…What's with YOUR getup?"

The girl gave a look over, before turning down to herself, she was wearing silks that seemed a bit more homemade, mostly covering what was needed. The most of the outfit was formed from various parts of discarded Pokémon parts, hairs, feathers and claws and fangs, the latter of which set a design like a tiara about her brow. Blinking at herself, the girl frowned. "Uh oh, back to not wanting papa to be right…"

"I'm afraid to ask… you know what's going on?"

"Remember I said papa mentioned Unown could hide by making dimensionally stuff alter around them?" The girl frowned, looking around as she sighed, calling out "Lexy?"

At that call, a door to their right opened and said boy walked in, dressed in some sort of uniform obviously meant for guards, a sword strapped to a belt. His skin was just as tanned as Hiiro's and Ketlin's was at that moment. "Oh whew… I thought I'd lost you two…" Alex mumbled, walking over. "The hell is going on? Where are we?"

"If I'm right, the Unown's decided to show us what happened in the story by putting us in it," Ketlin grumbled.

"…Shit… So how do we get out?" Hiiro grumbled.

The girl shrugged, lightly eyeing some of the parts of her necklace, stating simply "Beats me, papa never mentioned that part. Guess you'll just have to figure it out, Hiiry."

Hiiro rolled his eyes before shaking his head and looking them all over. "…Well, judging from our wear, I'm probably the priest, Ketlin, you're the shaman, and I'm guessing you're probably a personal guard, Alex."

"Gotta be," Alex mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was the only one out there."

"Good, get us a cheeseburger," Ketlin giggled.

"Ket, be serious," Hiiro mumbled. "Besides, if we did get sent back, those wouldn't exist yet."

"Unown were good for dimension messing not time messing," she pointed out, looking around. "Think of this like a dream, papa said the Unown once made a giant crystal castle that almost grew over half of Kanto once from one little girl's dreams."

"Dream or not, we're still stuck in a dream about the 'past', so those wouldn't exist… Anyway, given our high ranking, we probably have free roam over this entire place. So, let's get out there and find out what's going on."

"Sounds good, oh high priest," The girl giggled, hopping up quickly with a stretch. "Hmm, might be fun…maybe we can see what the place looked like before it became the desert."

"You know what concerns me more, actually?" Alex mumbled, looking around. "…Um… know what, never mind. Let's just go," he said after a bit and hurried out of the room.

Hiiro blinked, before casting a look around the room. It was a pretty simple, but elegant room, a single window placed a little above their height, providing some light. But as he took in the interior, Hiiro turned back ahead. "…Right, let's go…"

"Huh, is it just me ooor should someone else be here?" the girl of the group muttered, giving a glance around the room curiously.

"Ket, c'mon!" Hiiro called out from the doorway.

Sighing, the girl hurried after, grumbling as she held the back of her head. "Keep that up and I'll smooch you again."

The boy merely rolled his eyes and started walking again, with Alex and Ketlin close behind.

* * *

As they walked, they encountered multiple other people, but none of them really addressed either of them, though they did bow down whenever they passed by, leaving them to wonder just how high their ranking really was.

"Strange… almost all the walls are empty…" Alex murmured as they went.

"…They probably didn't write the story yet…"

"Well, seeing we are the priest and the shaman, what story is there to tell yet?" Ketlin shrugged out.

"Har har, Ket… hm?"

Just as Hiiro said that, another guard walked over to them. "I beg your pardon, High Priest, Lady Shaman… but the King requests your presence below in the hatchery."

While Alex frowned slightly, mouthing "Hatchery?", Hiiro allowed a nod. "We understand, thank you."

The guard then bowed and left.

The girl gave a glance, her eyebrows narrowing a little as she held her chin. "Hatcherns? They had egg type nests for Pokémon in such a ritzy spot?"

"Apparently so… Though why'd the King be down there…"

"I wasn't even aware they HAD a King…" Alex murmured. "The writings only spoke about the priest and shaman, right?

"…Now that you mention it, yeah…" Hiiro frowned in thought.

"Who's to say the Unown haven't been here since then?" The girl shrugged, starting to walk ahead. The boys shrugged and walked after her.

* * *

Eventually, they found the stairs going down and started making their way ever downward, passing less and less people as they went.

"I wonder how far down we actually went…" Hiiro mumbled. "If we were still in the actual ruins, we'd be several dozen floors beneath the sand…"

"Maybe, but we're not sure on which floor we started."

"Don't think fourthy like," Ketlin called back.

"Maybe… Ah, wait! This is it," Hiiro called out, pointing to a door Ketlin had just passed, with Unown lettering above the door spelling out "HATCHERY".

"Ah whoops, never was good at these guys as words." The girl pouted, before shrugging, taking a step behind the 'priest' and giving him a shove to the door. "High priests first!"

"Very amusing," Hiiro said solemnly, making Alex blink at the sudden change in speech with the other boy, but Hiiro didn't bother to explain and stepped into the room.

The room itself was immensely large, fitting at least 3 soccer fields placed next to each other, and every few meters there rested nests of what had to be over a dozen different Pokémon species, some of them not even known to man in the present time. While Alex and Ketlin looked to the different eggs, though, Hiiro just kept going, not even paying attention to the different nests.

"Wow, I don't think even papa…ak hey Hiiry wait up!" the girl yelped, quickly her hand snatched around Alex's wrist, before dashing back to meet with Hiiro's pace.

Hiiro stopped briefly and looked back to Ketlin curiously. "Is something wrong?"

"Hey, are you okay?" Alex asked in worry. "You're acting kind of off…"

The other boy turned to him for a moment, before he nodded. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you."

Ketlin wasn't entirely convinced, but gave a nod to Alex, quickly turning back to following the boy, silently she muttered to her back. "Maybe the Unowns are nudging Hiiry to go along with the story better?"

"You think?" Alex murmured.

"He's still new to being Psychicy, so his guard might be down enough for it, then again, maybe he needs more fiber in his diet."

Alex rolled his eyes, before turning back ahead - and stopped dead in his tracks almost immediately.

"…no…"

"Hm?" Ketlin blinked, before turning around "What is…"

"You wished to see us, Your Highness?" Hiiro asked solemnly, causing the man he had been addressing to turn their way.

He was a tall man with a pale skin color, in comparison to Hiiro, Ketlin and Alex at this point at least. In the present era, it would be considered a normal skin tone. His hair was, strangely enough, a shocking green color, and his only visible eye was a blood red color. The robes he wore easily classified him as an even higher rank than Hiiro and Ketlin, but his face was cold and heartless as he looked down upon them in more ways than one, some sort of silver, red glassed monocle over his right eye.

"…G-Ghetsis…" Alex hissed under his breath.

Seeing the man, Ketlin's grip along Alex's wrist suddenly intensified, possibly outright the only thing keeping her from planting one of her kicks to the 'King's' face.

"So I did," said the man, and Alex felt his blood freeze, remembering that voice all too well. "Tell me, why is it that the egg given to us by Celebi has not hatched yet?"

"My Lord, you cannot make eggs hatch on command," Hiiro spoke calmly. "It will hatch when it is ready. That is all I can say."

Just beyond the King, rested a simple egg that was white with black. It was an egg that no man today would recognize, but something started to click with Alex as he thought. "…could it…?"

The girl looked, giving a very small nod, having the feeling an all too familiar, whole version of a dragon the pair knew was resting within the egg.

The King snorted. "Well, see that you find out how to hatch it," he said icily, and stalked past them without another word.

Hiiro remained standing there, shutting his eyes quietly. "As you wish, Your Majesty."

Alex resisted the urge to reach for the sword he carried with him, watching the man go from the corner of his eyes. Ketlin tensed, quickly tugging Alex's wrist to calm him down himself.

Once the King had left the room entirely, though, a small smile spread over Hiiro's face. "Are you going to stay hidden like that for the rest of the day, Young Lord?"

When Hiiro said that, Ketlin blinked, quickly turning her attention where Hiiro was speaking. "Hm?"

At that call, a young boy around Alex's age moved over from behind one of the nests. "How did you know I was here?"

"! Noel…?" Alex whispered out.

Giving a warning hiss to the 'personal guard', the girl frowned a bit looking to the boy. "Your…foot was sticking out…as your…father was speaking to us."

"Oh, I see," the boy said, cocking his head briefly, causing his long green hair to fall over his shoulders. He looked almost identical to the Noel that both Ketlin and Alex remembered, the only difference being the missing pendant and cube, and the clothes he wore. He still had the squared bracelets he carried with him, and he was still as pale as a ghost as the duo remembered Noel, even more so than the man from before.

"What were you doing here, Your Grace?" Hiiro asked curiously, his head slightly cocked.

"Huh? Oh, I was just… visiting everyone here," the green-haired boy said slowly, fidgeting his fingers a little.

"The yet to be born?" the girl asked curiously, glancing about to the hatchery. "For no real reason…your grace?"

"Well… I just… I thought they would be… a little lonely, I guess…"

"We are not judging you, Your Majesty… It's just rare for you to come here, what with your father prohibiting you from doing so, after all," Hiiro said slowly.

"I know, I know…" the boy sighed, moving over to the black and white egg. "…Ever since Lord Celebi brought us this egg from Arceus, he's been… different…"

Alex frowned, and looked over to Ketlin curiously. The girl gave a small nod, before turning back to 'the royalty', quickly piping in "How do you mean…your grace?"

"I'm… not sure. Just… He started acting so strange… surely you've noticed, too, right?"

Hiiro nodded slowly as he walked over. "He does seem quite concerned with hatching this particular egg…" he murmured. "Well… perhaps 'concerned' isn't the proper word…"

"If I may," Alex spoke up, "it almost seemed as though he were… obsessed with it, my lord."

The boy nodded slowly. "It's like… whatever's in here is so important it could change our world… Priest, can you not see when this egg will hatch?"

"I've tried, Your Highness, but it is not responding to any outside prodding, so for now, all we can do is keep it warm and pray that it will be enough to keep it alive," Hiiro said with a small nod.

"But what if it's an Ice Being?" the Prince asked.

"If it was, it would be easier for my powers to sense, your grace, and no longer a problem of this state of Being," the girl playing the shaman said quietly.

"Well… I suppose so…" the Prince said slowly, reaching out to run his fingers across the egg. "What kind of Being would come from an egg like this, though?"

"There is really only one way to find out, Your Highness," Alex said politely.

"The trouble I can see though, so far, your grace, is his lord's temperament to wait for it to come from its shell."

"Yes… I almost fear what father will do when… when it finally DOES hatch…" the Prince whispered, a hint of dread in his voice.

Hiiro looked like he was about to say something, but just then, a single man rushed into the room. "High Priest! We have an intruder!"

"What?" Hiiro asked in surprise.

"An-an intruder…!" the Prince choked out in surprise.

Hearing that, Ketlin seemed to go back to herself, only briefly. Quickly the girl coughed, looking to the man seriously with a frown. "Are you certain?"

"Yes, Lady Shaman! He's knocked out all the guards he's passed! He appears to be heading for the throne room!"

Hiiro frowned angrily, before he called out: "Deploy the Beasts! If this intruder is strong enough to take out all guards, then we must respond in kind!"

"Understood!" the man said quickly and rushed out again.

"The Beasts…" the Prince murmured, making Hiiro look over.

"I know you hate to see their power used this way, My Lord, but it was they who wished to be of aid to us in such manner."

Behind 'the priest', the girl was giving her own disapproving glare, but held back a comment, for the moment, while Alex frowned a little in thought, turning to Hiiro. "What do you wish to do, sir?"

Hiiro looked back to the others. "I doubt there is much we can do… but let's go see what is the matter."

"I'm coming, too!" the Prince said quickly, stepping up beside Hiiro.

"…As you wish."

Ketlin frowned some more, but followed along with the group, holding back a little besides the 'personal guard', whispering a bit "Great, with all these people around were gonna keep getting stuck in these characters…"

Alex nodded slowly, before he whispered: "What choice do we have? We're stuck anyway…"

* * *

As they moved through the halls, they came across several of the guards that had been knocked unconscious… but they seemed to suffer no injuries whatsoever. The only matter that seemed disturbing seemed the look of fear on their face even in unconsciousness.

"…How strange…" the Prince murmured. "It's like… like they're having a bad dream…"

Hearing that, the girl seem to come to a bit of a stupor, but shook it off before the Prince could spot her, frowning. "Nightmares…would be more accurate, um your grace."

Alex blinked in surprise, before he frowned and mouthed under his breath: "Darkrai…?"

By the time they reached what appeared to be the throne room, the place was deathly silent.

"…What is… going on?" the Prince murmured. "Shouldn't… shouldn't the Beasts have arrived?"

"…I have a feeling that…" Hiiro murmured gazing into the throne room, and then he struggled to hold back a growl and a string of curses. "…I hate when my gut is right…"

Inside the room, two men and one woman lay sprawled across the ground, glowing orbs resting by their hands. The two men were well-built, while the woman, while also bearing some muscle, was more lithe. All three of them wore a mysterious robe, the men in red and yellow, the woman in blue, as mysterious markings were painted onto their entire body.

"Ah…!"

"…They're the same as all other guards…" Alex said with a small frown.

"Not good," Ketlin hissed out, glancing around quickly.

Hiiro frowned, walking into the room and picking up the three glowing orbs, one red, one yellow and one blue, the same as the robes of the three people in the room. "…Whoever was here wasn't after the orbs… but then what is his target?"

The shaman continued to look about, if it wasn't how confusing the world was to her senses, she would have tried extending them. For the moment, she just preferred to use her eyes and ears. "Are we sure he has not left here yet?"

The Prince walked forward and looked around carefully. "…There's no one else here…"

"My instincts say otherwise," Ketlin growled, rubbing at her head quickly. "Meerr…"

"Well, your instincts are as right as my gut is, so where would you think he's at?" Hiiro asked slowly.

The girl looked around, nothing she could think of was working, but her insides were saying otherwise. She couldn't sense him, but she could tell someone was there regardless. "Meer…it's like the Unown, he's…" She paused, her mind starting to piece the puzzle together. "…no, we're the ones in the dream…he's awake…"

"Dream…?" the Prince asked slowly. "What do you…?"

**_{Clever girl…}_** rumbled a deep voice through the girl's head, suddenly.

"Yanno, there's enough voices in my head as is. I might not see you but you could at least point me in your direction you know," Ketlin grumbled, cleaning the inside of her ear quickly

_**{Hmph. If your "instinct" is so good, why don't you follow, then?}**_

The girl growled, looking around quickly, snarling as she ripped a piece dangling bone off her hair braids out of her eyes. "…" With little warning, Ketlin shot off, right out of the room.

"A-ah! Lady Shaman!" the Prince cried out, even as the three boys hurried after her.

"Real nice, leaving people to dream while you walk around Arceus knows where right in front of them with your shadow in tow!" Ketlin growled, quickly darting about as best she could. She was pretty much going blind and just let her instincts start to take over, which was evident to the boys as she seemed to struggle to keep from leaping on all fours

There was no response from the voice from earlier, as its presence led them ever upward until they arrived at what appeared to be the summit of the building/ruins, overlooking the entire area… covered in lush forests with hundreds of unknown Pokémon types moving about.

"Ke-L-Lady Shaman, what's going on?" Alex asked cautiously.

"I'm just going where my instincts tell me the guy here was going," she grumbled, but seem to pacify a bit upon seeing the sight. "Got to admit…this place was beautiful though…"

**_{And it's about time that stops,}_** said the voice suddenly, before there was a bright flash of green, followed by a deafening explosion that caused the small group to hit the ground with cries of surprise.

"What the hell!" Ketlin yelped, covering her ears with a hiss as she tried to glare through the light.

"…! Th-the mountain!" the Prince cried out, pointing behind them, making the others look back in surprise.

"Oh you have got to be…!" Alex gasped out.

"Huh, so the place was burned away? Thought papa said cold lava was good for re-growing stuff!" The girl blinked, before shaking her head, hopping to her feet quickly. "You doing that?"

Hiiro hissed as he held a hand to his head, his eyes beginning to glow bright blue. "What… is going on?"

The girl frowned, looking to the glow of the eruption for a bit. "I don't know, it's…wait a second, you hitting us with Nightmare?"

However, when the girl finished the question, another burst of light nearly blinded them, followed by another explosion before the darkness flowed in, the darkening ash clouds blotting out the sun.

Alex coughed harshly. "A-ash… we-we have to get back inside…"

The 'shaman' though, quickly lashed out, snagging onto the boys with a tight grip as she coughed out "Nauhka, not yet."

Hiiro coughed a few times as well as the ashes descended upon them, the orbs he had been holding clattering to the ground before he collapsed.

Wheezing, the girl hissed out, gritting her teeth as she tightened her grip along Alex. "Wha, gah, one down…"

"Urgh… make that… two…" Alex choked out, collapsing onto the floor at the same time as the Prince did.

Choking a bit, the girl hissed a little as she started tumbling down, the world around her spinning "Make…fah…" Before she finished, she was down.

* * *

At least, for a few moments. Slowly, Ketlin began to stir, pushing herself up as her breathing became normal. "…Worst nightmare I let myself be hit by, ever."

"So… you're awake now?" asked a quiet, soft voice from beside her.

"GAH!" the girl yelped, hissing to the one beside her with a frown. "Nuh sneakens on me after nightmare!" Ketlin snarled up to the young man they had been following into the ruins.

"…Sorry," the young man said. Upon close inspection, his face (and mask) was half covered by his white hair, showing only one blue eye from behind the mask.

"Nugh." The girl sighed, stretching a bit as she looked to the boys. "Hey lazy bones hurry up. Eash one nightmare and they don't wanna wake up from it?" The girl sighed as she folded her arms.

Hiiro and Alex groaned, slowly pushing up from the floor.

"…what just… happened?" Hiiro groaned out.

"Urgh… I hate nightmares like that…" the other boy grumbled.

"…" The young man watched the three Trainers, before he finally stood up.

"His Darkrai zapped us with Nightmare to bring us out of the Unown's little story," the girl muttered, giving another snap of her neck. "Still lame, suffocation by ash, at least last time there was an acid pool involved…"

"…Darkrai?" Hiiro asked in confusion.

"A Pokémon that's known for causing nightmares…" Alex explained.

"…He's not mine, actually."

"Oh, well your friend then," Ketlin nodded, looking to the masked man's shadow. "You can come out you know."

"…" The young man looked down to his shadow for a moment, before he turned back to Ketlin. "He refuses."

"See it's that attitude that gives us Ghost and Dark types bad rep."

Hiiro blinked as he stood up. "Why does he refuse, actually?"

"He just doesn't want to," the young man said with a small shrug.

"…Sorry, but… who are you?" Alex asked finally.

The man blinked, before he gave a soundless 'ah' and said calmly: "Neero."

"Ah. Well, I'm Alex. And these are Hiiro and Ketlin. Nice to meet you."

Ketlin, for the moment, was busying herself by Neero's 'shadow', giving a few whiffs by it curiously.

Neero only nodded, even as his shadow seemed to be moving a little more than it should normally.

"Hm…same but…" Ketlin mumbled

"…" Hiiro looked around slowly. "…How did we get all the way over here from there?" he asked suddenly, pointing a little further down. When Alex and Ketlin looked, they noticed that the entrance they had used to get into the ruins has located quite some distance, approximately 40 meters away from them, and some 10 meters below them.

"Sleep walking I'm guessing through the Unown's story." Ketlin shrugged a bit.

"…Speaking of Unown…" Neero mumbled, looking up. "They don't appear to be too happy with you for messing up what they were working on…"

Giving him a look, Ketlin narrowed her eyes, glancing around as she did. "Messing up what? That flashback?"

Upon looking up, the group found themselves looking up to the same dozen of Unown that had originally dragged them into dream world. And they really didn't seem too pleased.

"Oh boy…" Hiiro murmured.

"Hey, if you're gonna glare do it down at our eye level!" Ketlin hissed, shaking her finger at the strange Pokémon. "It's rude to mess with people's heads you should ask first for that kinda thing."

"…Sorry, but could you deal with these guys?" Neero asked softly, just as the Unown started to get a deep blue glow around them.

"Ugh, you guys seriously wanna start now?" Ketlin growled. "Look, one of you get down here already to talk about this!"

However, just as the Unown's glow intensified, a single burst of blue erupted from Neero's shadow, at the place his eye would have been. **_{Worthless without me, aren't you?}_** snarled a deep, dark voice, before the darkness of his shadow erupted from the ground, a burst of black energy erupting from the powerful Dark type and knocking all the Unown back.

Hiiro could only stare in shock at the Pokémon that had ripped itself loose from Neero's shadow. It was a floating legless black shadow with long white hair the covered the right side of its face, but all its face really showed was a glowing, blue eye, and it had some sort of large red necklace around what had to be its neck.

"This is…?" Hiiro choked out, pulling out his PokéDex for a moment.

"One hell of an entrance, I so gotta do that!" Ketlin grinned out in awe.

"**_Darkrai. A Pitch-Black Pokémon. Folklore has it that on moonless nights, this Pokémon will make people see horrific nightmares. However, it means no harm._**"

"Means no harm?" Hiiro asked in surprise.

"Aw come on Hiiry, nightmares are good for ya," Ketlin giggled.

_**{Hmph. Humans… Always so quick to believe they know everything…}**_ the dark Pokémon's voice rumbled through their heads, as the Unown squealed and turned back to Darkrai in anger.

"Hoo boy…" Alex mumbled. "This's gonna be ugly…"

"Oh come on," Ketlin growled, standing between the Dark type and the alphabet Pokémon. "You guys don't have to fight!"

But the Unown didn't appear to want to listen, and without even a sound unleashed their Hidden Power at the Dark Type.

**_{Worthless!}_** Darkrai roared out, raising one of its arms and sending out a wave of purplish black energy that disintegrated their attacks and smashed into them, sending them flying with squeals of fright. Its eye darkened for a moment, and then it flared as its hair and shadowy body seemed to wave violently in some nonexistent wind.

Growling, the girl sighed, starting to take a breath after muttering to Alex: "Catch…"

"Huh wha…?" Alex blinked. "Uh sure, why?"

Once she had herself full of air, the girls eyes narrowed, before shouting out, a sudden surge of something seemed to come out of her almost shaking the area: "KNOCK IT THE HELL OFF!"

Hiiro yelped in surprise, while Alex winced and Neero jumped. Darkrai, however, merely glanced her way, even as the Unown started dropping like flies.

After the outburst, the warning to Alex became clear, cause Ketlin began to drop like a sack of bricks after she let out the last of her big breath. "Wheew…"

Of course, Alex caught her easily. "You okay?" he asked.

"That, tires you out…" She sighed, yelping as she managed to catch one of the dropping Unown. "Will you pleeeeeeeease behave and talk with us now friendly like, or do I let the big dark grump smack you guys some more?"

The Psychic Pokémon squealed softly, clearly trying to move, but not succeeding. Hiiro looked around slowly. "…I think it's a little late for that, Ket…"

"Ugh, I get it they wanted a fight but ya didn't have to be so rough…" Ketlin sighed out.

"That's not their fault, actually…" Neero said as he walked over to where one of the Unown had fallen. Reaching out for it, he was silent for a moment, before he said: "It was those people who came here before… It seems that they were reminded of their past somehow because of them."

"…Them?" Hiiro asked with a small frown.

Frowning, the girl looked to the Pokémon in her arm, lightly hugging the weakened Unown. "Reminding them of good…or bad…"

"…That I can't say. Could be either," Neero said as he rose to his feet. "The GADP is chasing them right now, so they won't get far."

"That's good…" Hiiro murmured.

"Agreed," Ketlin grumbled, looking to the alphabet Pokémon as she sighed stroking their heads.

**_{Hmph.}_** Darkrai mumbled, floating over before he dived back down into Neero's shadow.

"…He doesn't seem to like you much, does he?" Alex murmured, to which Neero merely shrugged.

"Meh, Dark and Ghosts tend to be grumpy cousins is all," Ketlin shrugged.

"Nothing to do about it. Anyway, let's head out of here, shall we?" Neero said calmly.

"Yeah, sure," Hiiro said with a nod, though he seemed to be thinking about something very deeply.

"Why's darky on your shadow anyway?" Ketlin asked, quickly slouching over Hiiro's shoulders for support as they began to head off.

"Hm? Oh well, he's just with me because-GAH!" Neero yowled in surprise when Darkai's arm suddenly shot from his shadow and snagged him by the neck. "Okay okay! I'll shut up!" As he said that, the arm retracted back into his shadow. "Urgh… seriously… was that unnecessary? …Well she asked…"

Hiiro blinked, but decided not to ask, instead pulling Ketlin up onto his back and walking down the halls silently. Alex, however, laughed. "Esh… I'd ask what he's grumpy about, but I won't… Don't want him to choke you to death."

"Could be worse, he coulda zapped him with an attack," Ketlin pointed out, turning her attention back to Hiiro, before planting a kiss on his cheek. "Payment."

"Gah!"

Ketlin grinned, nuzzling the boy's cheek as she winked. "That's the penny now gimme what's your noodle cooking."

"…Those orbs I grabbed…" Hiiro murmured. "…When we ran into that Aether Admin in the Sapphire Caves… he was looking for an 'orb'… What if… what they were searching for was…?"

"…But we don't even know what they were for…" Alex murmured.

"Something important, that much we know."

"They're orbs that grant humans the power of the Legendaries," Neero said calmly, almost making the boys freeze.

"Oh great, as if the Shadow thing wasn't bad enough," Ketlin hissed out.

"How did you… know that legend?" Hiiro asked slowly.

"In every legend is a hint of truth, I've learned," Neero said simply.

"Legend?" Alex questioned curiously.

"It's an old, though slightly overlooked tale that the civilization that used to live here could manipulate the power of 'Legendary' Pokémon and take them as their own," Hiiro explained. "But that power was never found, and as such, the legend was mostly pushed aside by the current generation."

Frowning, the girl began to rub her chin a bit, looking back to the dazed Unowns. "Hmm…"

"Wow… Can that be found around-"

"No, it's written on a slab that's kept in the Topaz Town's Museum," Hiiro said with a small shake of his head.

"Figures we don't know about it…" Ketlin shrugged over to the other none Gem islander.

* * *

"Well, here we are," Neero said as he climbed up a set of stairs and into broad daylight.

"…This is the other side, isn't it?" Hiiro murmured.

"Yeah, but this was the closest exit."

""Do we have to leave?" Ketlin sighed a bit, rubbing her neck with a hiss. "It's nice an cool in here."

"Well, we have to continue on to Ruby City, remember?"

Hiiro looked to Alex when he said that, briefly nodding before he walked up the stairs as well.

The girl growled, before she blinked, the city name echoing in her ears a moment, before she rushed up along the stairs. Almost knocking the boys down in the process. "WHAT ARE WE WAITEN FOR!"

"Gah! What the…? What's got you fired up so suddenly?" Hiiro asked in surprise.

"I WILL NOT BE DENIED!"

"Not be…? What do you mean, Kets?" Alex questioned as the boys hurried after her.

"I'm gonna have that challenge this time if I gotta drop a building on someone!"

Hiiro and Alex blinked in confusion, sharing a look, before they shrugged and hurried after her, never noticing that Neero had separated from them at some point to go his own way.

* * *

As the trio of Trainers continued on through the desert, they encountered several dozen Ground types, and with the heat, it was a little difficult to deal with them. Though, with Samurott and Quagsire using Water Gun on the ones that dared to come up to them, they managed to pull through.

"Ugh… hey, girl, you mind filling this one up for us?" Hiiro asked, holding the now empty canteen to his Quagsire.

"Quaag," the Water/Ground type called and carefully squirted some water into the canteen.

"Whew… how big is this desert…?" Alex murmured, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Ketlin didn't respond much herself, just walking ahead, somehow keeping up the stride she was giving from before. Where she was pulling the energy from was anyone's guess as she hissed, tugging the hood of her robe a bit tighter over her brow

"Ketlin, calm down," Hiiro called out. "Seriously, what's got you so energized?"

Alex allowed a chuckle as he hurried on after the girl.

"I don't like being denied a fight when I ask for one!"

"What are you talking about?"

The young Shonen hissed, but managed to take a breath to steady herself. "Last time in Ruby I went for the challenge and was turned down, I HATE not having a fight when I ask for one!"

"Oh, I see…" Hiiro murmured.

"Who's the Gym Leader of Ruby City, actually?"

"If I'm not mistaking…" Hiiro said in response to Alex's question, "It's a woman called 'Nikita'. That's about all I know about her. She's a rather… how do you say, mysterious person."

"I see…"

"I'm gonna rider kick her rear until I get that fight!"

Alex laughed at that statement, before he blinked. "Ah, Ketlin, watch out for that-"

"HugAHK!" A bit late to respond to the warning, the girl instead came down hard into a face full of sand. Growling, she reached down, rubbing her now stubbed toe, after it 'found' a bit of Geodude resting in the sand. "Ooouch…"

"…Never mind…" Alex sighed out. "…Wait wha?" Blinking, the Unova Trainer hurried over and dug out the Geodude. "What is…? Why's it so beat up?"

The Geodude was, to put it bluntly, badly beaten up, numerous chips of its rocky hide coming off and its eyes shut tightly in pain. Whatever had come by, it had royally kicked its rear-end.

"Dear Arceus… what happened to it?" Hiiro questioned in surprise, crouching down as well.

"Oh man! Who has some medicine on them?" Ketlin hissed quickly, sliding back up to kneel beside the wounded Rock type, lightly patting its stony head. "Hey you still there? Hey!"

But the Geodude did not respond. Alex brought up the Pokémon for a moment, listening, before he nodded. "It's still alive… but I don't think just a mere Potion will help here…"

"I can 'capture' him and have him sent to the GAPR. He can freely recover there from these injuries," Hiiro offered.

"Perhaps that's the best option right now…"

Ketlin frowned, but nodded, a bit reluctantly as she gave the Rock Pokémon's head a light pat. "Wish Kamina was here…"

Hiiro nodded and pulled out a Pokéball from his bag, lightly tapping it against the badly injured Pokémon. It was sucked into the ball with no resistance whatsoever and was warped away almost immediately.

"Good thing there's that, forget about that stuff since papa handles all of my and brother's Pokémon like this."

"Yeah…" Hiiro sighed and stood up. "…What happened to it, though?"

"I don't know… but I'd rather not run into whatever it was that did this…"

Ketlin gave a growl, standing up herself as she began to rub her knuckles. "Can't say the same Lexy…"

Suddenly, a pained cry resounded from a little ways away, making the group look up in surprise.

"That sounded like an Onix…" Alex murmured.

"Anything strong enough to hurt a Geo, would definitely make an Onix cry out like that!" the girl said, before without much warning she dashed off in the direction of the Rock type's shout.

"Ketlin!" both boys shouted, hurrying after her and up a small hillside.

"Hurry up!"

As they approached the top, Ketlin up front, they saw a badly injured Onix, shaking in agony as a single man walked along its side, slowly moving his hands along its rugged hide, a small red dog-like Pokémon with black stripes on its back and light blonde 'hair' and tail hurrying after him; a small Growlithe pup. The man was wearing some kind of white uniform over a black jumpsuit, but even through that, it was clear that he had some definite muscles underneath it. His hair was a bright orange and slightly spiked outward at the base of his neck. Since he was facing away from the group, that was about all they could see.

Seeing that, the girl's eyes narrowed, her speed suddenly pushed to the limit as she rushed down the hill, leaping up to rush the man and his Pokémon as her arms reared back. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

"Ketlin, wait!" Hiiro shouted, even as the man whipped around in surprise.

"Hey whoa!" the man howled as he jumped back to avoid the girl, staring at her with golden-orange eyes that were currently filled with surprise. The small Growlithe at his feet immediately started barking at Ketlin in warning, jumping in between its Trainer and the girl.

"Damn…! C'mon!" Hiiro called to Alex, hurrying down the hill.

"Ah-! Hold on a second!" Alex called out, following as best as he could.

The girl didn't seem to even notice the fire dog, though at once several of her Pokémon shot out, trying to snag onto the girl before anything could happen as she began to thrash around. Growling himself, Natsu looked over to Hiiro snorting out to him in a hurry.

Hiiro sighed in annoyance, and brought up his hand, moving it backwards, and causing Ketlin to be yanked backwards and away from the man before she could attempt to attack him any further. "Would you stop that!"

"DID YOU SEE WHAT HE DID, THEY MIGHT BE SHADOWED LET GO!" she barked out, her Pokémon snatching on to help hold her back, the Pignite repetitively waving its arms upwards to Hiiro.

Sighing once more, Hiiro flicked his finger up - effectively flipping Ketlin upside-down again.

"Whoa…" the man said curiously, hands on his hips as he watched the girl flailing about, while the Growlithe looked at the hovering girl in confusion, whining with its head cocked sideways.

"GRAAH! HIIRY, PUT…me…down?" Ketlin began to suddenly calm down, surprisingly, looking down, or rather up, to the wounded Onix, and began to blink several times. "No burn marks? So then it wasn't the Growlithe…"

"That's what I was trying to say; this guy's with the GADP," Hiiro said, turning Ketlin to face the man and pointing to him. "That uniform he's wearing is a dead giveaway."

"Huh… I guess your friend's not too familiar with the archipelago, right?" the man said, as the Growlithe plopped down to wait.

"Not really, sir."

"I'm from Kanto" Ketlin muttered, wiggling a bit in the air giving a rather relaxed sigh. "Um, sorry. I wouldn't be that bad but something's got me a little riled up."

Hiiro flipped her back around and set her to her feet again, before looking to the Onix. "Poor thing…"

"Yeah," the man said with a small frown, moving forward again, toward the Onix's head, and pulling out what looked like a crystal like gem, as the Growlithe toddled after. "Here, boy," he said, holding it out to the Pokémon. "Eat this. It'll lessen the pain for a little bit."

The girl's Pokémon hopped down themselves, Natsu, Toku and Juvia began to toddle about, looking over the Rock type's wounds, the Smoochum giving a few smeeks to try and help 'ease the pain' herself. The Pignite and Golett however were looking to the damage curiously.

Ketlin sighed, hopping on over to the rock types head herself, slowly rubbing her hand along Onix's spike like horn. "Wish I got here lot sooner…"

The Onix opened its mouth slowly, allowing the man to place the gem into his mouth, chewing on it slowly. The man nodded and lightly patted the Onix's jaw. "Nothing to do about that, I'm afraid. Jeen!" he suddenly called out, moving to the other side of the Onix's body. "How's he looking on that side?"

"Not good, I'm afraid," came the voice of a young woman, who walked over from the other side. Unlike the man, she was dressed in sleeveless black jumpsuit worn under a white skirt and blue jean-vest, donning a pair of gloves with a circular gizmo on the back. Her hair was long and a vibrant pink color, her eyes a bright blue color. "He really needs to go to the GAPR, stat."

Hearing that, Ketlin blinked a bit, stepping over to look to the other person, grumbling a bit about 'really being tired' or something.

"Agreed… You got any of those warp pads on you?" the man asked.

"Yes." The woman reached into her bag and pulled out some kind of item, and carefully placed it against the Onix's hide.

Frowning, Ketlin hopped down, turning a bit to give Onix a last pat. "They'll send you somewhere to help you, so just rest kay big guy?"

After typing in something on the item, the woman stepped back, watching as energy began to gather on the Onix, before it was warped away.

"Huh why do grownups get all the neat gizmos…"

At those words, the woman looked to Ketlin curiously, before she cast a glance to the man.

"…What's that look for?" he asked with a frown.

"Surprised she considers you a 'grownup'."

"Oh come on, Jeena!"

Giving a sigh, Ketlin put her arms back, folding them a bit behind her head. "Hiiry, three o' clock."

As her trainer said that, the small Ice type Smoochum was latched onto the boy's shoulder, smooching away at his face quickly.

"Gak! Juvia!" Hiiro cried out, pulling the small Pokémon off.

Alex laughed a little, before turning to the pair. "Ah, sorry, but I don't believe we've introduced ourselves yet. I'm Alex, and these are Ketlin and Hiiro."

"Pleasure," the other boy said, keeping Juvia away from his face.

"And these are my pals, Natsu, Juvia an Toku." The girl nodded, her Pokémon giving little waves and greetings in response.

The man nodded in return with a small chuckle, bringing up his hand, almost as if to wave. How-ever, as he did, a small hologram appeared in front of it, looking like some kind of ID card. "I'm Rallen, and this is Jeena," he introduced himself and the woman, who had held up her hand in the same way to produce the same kind of ID card. At this point, the Growlithe hopped up and started barking happily, tail wagging. "Heh. And this little attention glutton is Komainu."

"Hehe, wow I keep forgetting how small Tom's breed is at this state," the girl giggled, kneeling down a bit to ruffle the canine's ears.

Komainu barked and started licking at Ketlin's face.

"Hyper little tyke, isn't he?" Hiiro chuckled out.

"Heh. Yeah, you can say that again," Rallen said, ruffling Komainu's 'hair'.

The girl giggled, hugging the little barking Pokémon a bit, before a thought came to mind, making her frown a little. "Yeah…"

"Ketlin? What's wrong?" Alex asked.

"Eh, oh um," the girl muttered, putting the Growlithe down. "It just…kinda made me think on how well Tomodachi's doing…since he's not as energetic anymore…"

Rallen blinked a little, until Hiiro whispered something to him that made the older man nod. "I see… Well, in any case," he said, getting back to his feet. "I'm assuming you're heading for Mt. Ruby, huh?"

"Yes sir," Alex said with a nod.

However, Rallen merely chuckled and waved his hand.

"Ah, just call me Rallen. Sir makes me feel like Grant," he chuckled out. To that, Jeena had to suppress a giggle, while the kids looked to each other in slight question.

"Didn't really expect to see anyone here though, did you guys see what happened to the Onix?" Ketlin blinked over, tugging a bit with a hiss on her cloak.

"I'm afraid not," Jeena said with a small sigh. "But it's probably the same guys we were chasing after earlier."

"Yeah… If I catch those guys, they're going to regret messing with the Gem Archipelago," Rallen snarled, punching his fist into his other hand.

Hiiro remained silent as he handed Juvia back to Ketlin.

Alex frowned angrily. "Do you have any idea who they were?"

"If you want my guess, it was probably those creeps from Aether," Rallen grumbled.

"Rallen, we don't have prove that it was really them," Jeena pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I trust my guts in this case."

"My guts are with his these guys do seriously nasty stuff," Ketlin hissed out, giving a less then gentle squeeze to her Ice type. Before Ketlin could say anything else, though, Alex was right behind her and covered her mouth with both hands. "Mmph?" The girl growled, before Alex's fingers got a close introduction to Ketlin's fangs

"Ow!" Alex hissed, pulling his hands away

"Warned you I knew Hyper Fang," the girl giggled out cheekily.

Hiiro sighed a little, before he turned to Rallen and Jeena. "Hey, can I ask you something? How far is it to Mt. Ruby from here?"

"It's not that far, actually," Jeena said as Rallen managed to calm down a little, Komainu plopped down next to him. "If you keep going this way, you'll reach the foot of the mountain in about 15 minutes."

"Great."

"Ugh good, I'm getting to much sand in my spine," Ketlin hissed out.

"Hmm… Hey, Jeen. How 'bout we give these kids a lift?"

"Rallen, that's not the point of-"

"Sounds great where's the ride?" Ketlin said quickly, cutting Jeena off before she could decline the offer as she began to walk off guessingly to the 'lift' in question

Hiiro and Alex shared a look, but merely shook their heads with small chuckles.

"Well, I wouldn't object. While there's no sandstorms here like at home, this place is starting to get to me," Alex said with a smile.

Jeena sighed dramatically, rubbing her temples, even as Rallen grinned. "Right! This way!" he called out, starting to head off with Komainu hurrying after, barking happily.

* * *

Before long, they arrived at what looked closest to speedboat, with no visible tracks or wheels, and painted in white, black and yellow.

"Wow… Classy," Alex murmured in awe.

"Wahoo! Ultra shot gun!" Ketlin grinned out, skidding over the sand over to the 'boat', which quickly got her Pokémon to look nervous as they chased her, at least her experienced ones.

"Ah! Ketlin, that might not be the best idea," Alex called out. "Remember, we're in the desert; you'd end up with sand in places you don't want it to go."

"I already got them in my back how much worse can it be, Lexy?" the girl called back, trying to climb up the front of the vehicle while her Pokémon were desperately trying to get her not to.

Rallen laughed as he picked her up almost easily. "Would you chill? And I don't think you'd want to be up there when we get going."

"Eh, oh right," she muttered, recalling her Pokémon quickly. "Pignite barfs not fun to see."

Rallen merely laughed as he set her down, walking after Jeena as she opened the door at the back of the 'boat', walking in with the other boys. And Ketlin sighed, following inside with a frown, giving a look around the interior of the ship a bit curiously.

"What is this thing anyway?"

"It's called a transport," Hiiro said as Rallen and Jeena walked over to the front of the ship, the door closing on its own behind them. "They're used by the GADP to travel across the desert without disturbing the land."

"Mew, no fense kinda think I like how rangers get around a little better, but this is pretty neat."

"Well, given the size of the desert, I suppose it's a good thing to be able to move around fast," Alex pointed out, taking a seat in the cockpit as Rallen sat down in the driver's seat with Jeena on his right.

"Yep. Even with all of us out here, we gotta be on our feet almost constantly," Rallen pointed out as Komainu jumped in his lap to snuggle.

"Know that feeling…hum hey listen you guys know the gem islands great right? You ever heard or seen a really really dark place that feels…kinda weird?" the girl asked suddenly.

"Dark place?" Rallen asked, looking over and blindly working on some of the controls as Jeena typed in a few things. "Could you be a little specific?

"I'm going by years old memories so, nope."

"Well, I'm not sure what that means, I'm afraid. You could ask Nikita back at Ruby City," he said calmly, turning back to the controls once everyone had strapped up.

"Fine," Ketlin grinned out, showing her bangs a bit ferally. "Right after I smash my foot up her…"

"Better hold on!" Rallen warned before she could finish, giving the kids a grin. "Coz here we… GO!"

The moment Rallen shouted the last word, the transport took off across the desert's sand, the speed sending the trio of Trainers back against the backrest.

"Rallen! Be careful!" Jeena admonished.

"Always am!" Rallen laughed out.

"Ugh… You're impossible."

The girl of the trio yelped, somehow though she managed to snag the boys and turn them to cushion her a bit. "Wahk!"

"Whoa! This thing is pretty fast for not having any wheels!" Alex called out, to which Rallen laughed.

"Well, how else would you not disturb the place?" he quipped, easily steering around several obstacles as they continued on.

"Heh." Hiiro allowed a chuckle and looked to Ketlin. "Glad you didn't sit shot-gun?"

"You kidding?" Ketlin grinned out, a bit madly as she cried out excitedly "FASTER!"

Jeena sighed as she rubbed her temples. "Rallen, don't you-"

"Aw, come on Jeena! Live a little!" the orange haired officer laughed, kicking the speed up a notch to where Jeena sighed, not seeming too affected by the high speed of Rallen's "driving".

"YAHOO NOW I WANNA RIDE SHOTGUN MORE NOW!"

And Alex and Hiiro merely laughed.

* * *

**Neero is copyrighted to Kotlol.  
Rallen, Jeena and Komainu are from Disney's "Spectrobes".  
**


	28. Chapter 27 Mt Ruby

_**The Longest Journey**_

_**Gem Archipelago**_

**Chapter 27: Mt. Ruby**

* * *

"So this is Mt. Ruby, huh?" Alex murmured as they got out of the transport after a drive of about 5 minutes.

The dead volcano was large, that much was clear. It seemed to be easy enough to scale, though there were also lifts that went all the way up to the city. There was a distinct lack of greenery on the desert side, but several 100 meters away to either side, they could see the trees that were growing from the volcano's side.

"Yeah guess its kinda nice" The girl muttered, partly hopping onto Alex's back suddenly as they got off the 'ship'. "Gymy time!"

"Gah!"

"Ket, we have to get up there, first," Hiiro laughed, before turning to Rallen and Jeena. "Thanks again for giving us a ride."

"Heh. No problem," Rallen said with a big grin on his face. "You just hang tough, alright?"

"Will do."

Jeena smiled a little with a shake of her head. Obviously she seemed to remember that it wouldn't do her much good to lecture Rallen on how they weren't a ferry. Hiiro had a feeling she must've had to do that over a dozen times already.

"Thanks again, and hope you get to kick those creeps butts for what they did to Geo and Ony."

"That makes two of us," Rallen said with a nod, moving to go back inside. "Good luck on your trip!"

"Thank you! And good luck to you with catching those guys!" Alex called out as the two officers went inside, closing the door behind them, before they took off again, just as fast as Rallen had driven them there. "That guy's a speed addict, I'll bet," the Unova Trainer chuckled out.

Looking to Alex in question, the girl frowned. "What's wrong with speed…"

"Oh, nothing, just-"

"Waaaaah!" came a familiar yelp, only moments before Haru came to a full stop a little beside them from where she'd been sliding down the mountain's side. "Darns…"

"…Haru?" Hiiro questioned in surprise.

The girl in question blinked and turned to face the small group. "Huh? Oh! Hiiro's! Ketty!"

"Harus? What are you doing here?" Ketlin blinked out, quickly hopping off the Unova boy's back.

"Trainings!" the girl chirped as Angie slid down the mountain as well to coil around Haru's shoulders again. It was then that she seemed to notice Alex and blinked curiously. "Huh? Who're yous?"

Hiiro laughed. "Haru, this is Alex. He's traveling along with us for a while."

Alex smiled and nodded, holding out his hand to the girl. "Nice to meet you, Haru."

Haru smiled brightly and shook the boy's hand. "Nice to meet you too's!"

"Him an Angie should get along well their both draggy heads," the Kanto girl giggled, reaching over to playfully ruffle the serpent dragon's ear fins.

Angie mewled happily at the attention, her tail tip wagging about, making Haru giggle. "Angie! That tickles!"

"Oh? So you kids _were_ here?" asked another familiar voice, causing them to look up the mountain side.

Vent stood upon one of the nearby rocks, hands in his pockets casually, before he kicked off and easily scaled down the mountain with almost no difficulty.

"Ah! Sir Vent!"

"Hey there," the man said with a small nod.

"Guess you were gonna be here to huh?" Ketlin giggled with a wave. "Well guess some parents gonna be around…"

"Ketlin, Haru's still too young to journey, remember?" Hiiro pointed out.

"Ya ya," Ketlin sighed out waving, giving a hiss as she rubbed her back. "Ouch, I think I'm making a pearl back here…"

"You alright?" Vent asked in slight worry.

"Ketty?"

The girl shook it off, shrugging as she rubbed a little past her shoulders. "Just small cuts its nothing"

Haru blinked a few times, but before she could ask… "Aren't you going up, Haru?"

"Meep! I'm going I'm going!" she called out, and started hurrying up the mountain side, yelping when she nearly slipped again.

"Wouldn't the lifts be easier?" Ketlin asked.

"Nuh-uh! I gotta trains to be a good Trainers!" Haru called out, scampering up the mountain, with Angie right behind her, making Vent laugh.

The man chuckled, before pointing out: "Plus, if you don't scale the mountain, you're not allowed to challenge Nikita."

"Seriously?" Alex choked out.

"Don't tell me that's why she said…ugh," the girl growled, rubbing her face, obviously irritated to no ends. Shaking it off, she began to stretch her legs out, limbering herself up with a glare so determined it was a wonder the mountain wasn't being knocked down. "Right let's go."

Hiiro allowed a nod and started scaling the mountainside, trying to avoid any loose rocks he came across. Alex gave a sigh and followed after a moment longer.

Vent allowed a chuckle and casually started walking up the mountain's side, keeping up to the madly scampering Haru and Angie.

As they trudged ahead, the Shonen girl growled, gritting her teeth as she quickly dug her feet for a better grip after a near slip up. "Meerr, my mask for a freaking pack of Mankey!"

"Need some help, Ket?" Hiiro called out, coming up beside her.

"No, just not a mountain climber. Tree climbing heck yeah." The girl frowned, shrugging as she continued on. "Mountains not so much. Ugh all times I'd want to feral up."

Alex chuckled softly, following after them.

Hiiro allowed a smile as he climbed after, watching as Haru yelped when she nearly fell again, but this time she scampered right back up. The small girl was clearly doing her best to get up the mountain on her own.

And Vent was just casually walking up the side of the mountain, apparently not the least bit affected by the steepness of the mountain.

"This reminds me you still owe me something 'really special' tonight, Hiiry," the girl grinned out suddenly.

"Are we still going on about that?" Hiiro sighed out, reaching for another rock.

"Just reminding you, good thing papa's not here anymore," she retorted, managing to hop up a good foot or two ahead.

"He'll probably figure out one way or another, though, Kets," Alex called out as he finally caught up.

"Probably…" Hiiro murmured softly.

Ketlin grumbled as they w ent on to climbing, before she blinked, looking around quickly before giving a slight squeak. "Arbok!"

Hiiro and Alex immediately snapped their heads up, letting out a gasp and cry respectively, as the large-larger than normal, even-purple snake rose up from behind a rock, its neck pattern resembling that of a vicious glare. Its forked tongue flicked out as it rose up to its full height, hissing dangerously at the group.

"Meep! Daddy!" Haru called out in fright, making Vent look up in slight surprise.

"Sh-shit…!" Hiiro hissed, trying to reach for one of his Pokéballs without skidding down the mountainside.

"Hey calm down its not attacking yet is it?" the Shonen girl responded, giving a look up to the serpent curiously. "Must be a healthy eater the size its at…"

"Not yet, but it's going to in about-"

Before Hiiro could finish, the Arbok let out a loud hiss and lunged toward the group.

"…Stop."

Immediately, the Pokémon stilled and backed up, a startled expression on its face. Vent was glaring up at the snake, his entire stance indicating he was not pleased, and if he had been a Pokémon as well, one could've argued that he was ready to lunge. The Arbok seemed to notice this as well and shrunk back, forked tongue flicking out once more, before it rapidly slithered away.

"…Wowie! Daddy that was awesomes!" Haru chirped out, scampering up the hold onto her father's leg.

"…How did you…?" Alex asked slowly.

"Intention." Ketlin blinked, her head quickly shaking as she went back to climbing "Kinda impressive most humans can't get that out to Pokémon."

Vent allowed a small smile as he turned to the small group. "Well… shall we keep going?"

"Yeah! Le's go le's go!" Haru chirped, picking up her pace and continuing to scramble up the mountain again.

"You're the ones taking your time!" the older girl giggled out

* * *

It took the small group at least an hour and a half to get all the way to the top, and by the time they did, at least half of them were exhausted.

"Ugh… that… was tiring…" Alex managed to get out.

"Yeah…don't move" Ketlin said, suddenly dropping over the Unova boy's back in a limp. "Need a pillow."

Hiiro exhaled and dropped back onto the ground, panting for breath. "Urgh… I'm not… too anxious to do that again…"

"Why not it was still fun," the wary girl called over, giving a confused gaze to Hiiro.

"I'll pass next time…" the other boy mumbled, moving his cap over his eyes.

"Suit yourself."

Haru, on the other, was giggling happily, even though she was panting as much as the rest of them. "See, Daddy? I told yous I could do its!"

"Heh. So you did," Vent chuckled.

Sighing a bit, Ketlin gave her joints a rough snap, pulling herself back to a proper sitting position. "Mew, wonder if that was how orange islands are supost to be like…"

"Hm? The Orange Islands have something similar?" Alex asked curiously.

"Donno personally, Papa told me it had challenges for Trainers and their Pokémon like obstacle courses or dancing or racing…"

"Heh… Maybe I'll go there when I have the time, then…" the Unova Trainer chuckled out.

Haru sat up properly, Angie around her shoulders, and looked to the group. "Hey, are you gonna go for the Gyms now?

"HELL YEAH!"" Ketlin hollered, hopping to her feet with renewed vigor at the primary reminder of their visit. "I'M GETTEN THAT FIGHT TODAY IF I GOTTA TEAR HER WHOLE GYM DOWN PIECE BY PIECE!"

At that, both boys laughed, and Vent allowed a chuckle of his own, before saying: "Well, why are you still sitting here, then? It's going to be night soon."

The father barely finished the statement, the girl was already rushing ahead towards the Gym without any show of hesitation. "HURRY UP ALREADY SLOWPOKES!"

Alex and Hiiro shook their heads, wearily climbing to their feet. Once they were sure they could walk normally, they started after Ketlin.

However the girl got her energy back was anyone's guess, but she managed to beeline quite a few times, causing the boys to dart through paths that would obviously not be needed. Finally though 'Kamen Trainer' dug her heels into the ground as she forced herself to stop in front of the mountain's Gym.

However, as she attempted to open the door, it refused the budge.

Struggling with everything she had, the girl began to yowl and hiss, kicking at the door and its handles in a renewed rage. "Aw come on!"

"Ketlin, calm down," Hiiro called out. "There's probably already a challenger inside."

Hearing her name, the masked girl gave a glare to the local islander. "'Who'?"

Hiiro chose wisely not to respond to the girl's glare, and instead put his hand in his pocket as Alex reached them.

"…So this is the Gym, huh?" Alex murmured, looking up to the, strangely small, building.

It was a lot smaller than other Gyms, and from the outside, it wasn't sure if it could even fit a battlefield. Which would mean the actual field had to be underground. Though how far, that had yet to be seen.

Before any of the others could say anything though, there was a click from the door and it was opened from inside.

"Hm? Oh? New challengers?" asked a calm, casual voice.

"LEADER OF RUBY'S GYM, KAMEN TRAINER IS HERE TO CHALLENGE YOU FOR YOUR GYM BADGE!"

"I'm afraid Nikita's still inside, little lady," the young man said with a chuckle as he twirled a strand of his light blonde hair with his finger. He was a young man around Hiiro's age with short blonde hair that was slightly curled, and mysterious amethyst eyes. He was dressed in some simple clothes that hardly seemed fit for a Pokémon journey. "She also said she's not taking any more challenges today."

"…Ouch," Hiiro murmured softly.

Hearing the news, the masked girl gave a vissible twitch. Anyone nearby would have sworn the mountain was about to erupt again. "…"

The young man sighed and raised his hands in a shrug. "She said she wasn't feeling up to it right now. Possibly because she's had so many challengers already, today. Well, anyway, please excuse me."

With a simple wave of his hand, the young man walked away with a small, cheeky smile on his face.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGH!"

Hiiro and Alex remained silent as they watched Ketlin vent, knowing well enough to not speak lest she aim that frustration at either of them.

It took a bit of time, not to mention some noticeable cracks within the building walls, but finally, the girl gave a sigh of frustration. "Daaammnniiiit"

Hiiro sighed, before he moved over to her. "Hey, let's go to the center. We can take the challenge first thing tomorrow."

"Agreed… we'll have to all go at the same time though, right? Since Nikita works with Triple Battles."

"Yeah, she does."

"Fine, but not the center!"

"Huh?"

Removing her mask and jacket, the girl frowned snatching onto the nearest boy, being the unfortunate Gem islanders wrist, tugging him along. "Trees, lotta trees. Hiiry owens and I need it!"

"Gah! Ketlin, take it easy!" Hiiro called out as he staggered afterward.

Alex shook his head with a chuckle as he followed them.

"Maybe the park the trees there might be big enough hmm."

* * *

Before long, they reached what Ketlin called 'the park'. It was, as said, a park filled with trees, but the leaves of the trees were a deep ash gray and the bark was a dark black. There were also several normal trees around, but the majority of them were still the black and gray trees. Several Tropius were walking around the area, searching the trees for their favorite fruits, sometimes stopping to munch on one when they found them.

"Huh…dino tree…" The girl blinked out, looking to the grass /flying types in small awe

"You've seen these before at Laria's Gym, haven't you? Why do you sound so surprised?" Hiiro asked in slight confusion.

"The dancen routines distracted me a little"

"Dancing was with Alexia, not Laria."

"Not the dancing in the fight the dancing the Pokémon in the garden were doing" Ketlin grumbled

"Okay, okay…" Hiiro sighed, adjusting his bag. "So what do you want to do here?"

"Camp here till morning time remember" the girl frowned out, giving a sniff to the air a little as she caught the scent of some of the large pokemons fruits "Hmm"

Alex walked over calmly, looking around. "Huh… what's with these trees?" Alex asked, running his hand along the bark of the black trees.

"Those are Ash Trees," Hiiro explained. "This is the only place in the Archipelago they can grow. No one's really sure why or how they grow."

The girl frowned a bit, tilting her head one way and the other, taking in the sight of the 'ash trees' apparently in deep thought. "Hmm…"

Hiiro looked about to say something else, but instead, he choked and tensed sharply. '…Ray?'

…**he's here.**

"…Yeah, thought so," Hiiro hissed out, his face twisting into a frown. Without another word, he hurried off.

"Huh? Hey, Hiiro!" Alex called out, hurrying after the boy.

"Eh, hey get back here!"" Ketlin growled giving chase

However, Hiiro didn't stop and kept going until he stopped when he turned a corner, just as a Tropius hit the ground with a cry of pain. And in the next moment, a Pokéball slammed against its hide, drawing it in before it dropped to the ground. The ball wriggled for a few moments, then gave a silent ding and bounced over into the hand of the person who had originally thrown it.

"Nick!"

"…" Said boy looked up wordlessly, still holding the Pokéball in his left hand as Shenleon stood by his side.

"Awww double nerts…" Ketlin hissed out spotting the boy as she skid beside Hiiro, quickly reaching for her Pokéballs ready to call out her team

"Ah you gotta be…" Alex grumbled.

"…"

"What are you doing here?" Hiiro hissed out.

"…"

Gritting her teeth, the girl repeated out: "Well? Why are you here what do those Aether creeps want from Ruby?"

"…"

"…Why are we even trying this?" Alex murmured softly, rubbing his temples.

"I'm partly hoping that if being a shadow removes his heart maybe it'll smash some logic in his face," Ketlin muttered.

"Nick… do you even know what you did to Rachel back in Opal?" Hiiro demanded.

"…she was in the way…" Nick said solemnly. "…it was her own fault…"

"You damn well nearly broke her spine, you idiot!" Hiiro shouted out. "If you're fighting with Pokémon, you're supposed to leave the Trainers OUT of it!"

"…"

"Uh, yeah," Ketlin mumbled, scratching her ear quickly, things considered, she hardly could argue out of that statement if Hiiro brought her into it.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Hiiro suddenly demanded. "You have all these people worrying about you and trying to help you and all you can think about is your own problems? You're not the only one with troubles, you know!"

"…it doesn't matter…"

"Doesn't… matter?" Hiiro snarled dangerously, his eyes flashing blue. "Both Rachel and Prometheus were willing to do everything in their power to help you but you merely shoved them away! You're never going to solve anything if you keep doing that!"

"…"

"Forget it Hiiry…"

"Hell no!" Hiiro hissed out, reaching up and spinning his cap around 180 degrees. "I promised Rachel we'd drag you back to Diamond by your hair if need be and I intend to keep that promise!" he snarled, taking one of his Pokéballs in hand.

"…you're free to try…" Nick said solemnly as Shenleon leaped over in front of him with a snarl.

"Um… is it just me or does Hiiro seem more fired up than normal?" Alex asked softly.

However, as the dragon Eeveelution took his stance into Alex's question, something bound off its forehead, before a pair of feet gave a sudden crash into the 'shadowed' boy's face. Flipping back, Ketlin landed with a growl, glaring up to Nick as she hissed "If you couldn't talk sense into him when his heart was still his Hiiry, then only action is to beat him to a pulp and drag him back as a ghost he's become now."

The kick to his face made Nick stagger back - and also split the mask he wore clean in half. The two halves fell to the ground and clattered along the rocky ground before they stilled.

"…"

However, Nick didn't even bother to look at the two halves and looked up to the group silently, his expression empty. After a moment of silence, however…

"…If you want to fight against us both…" he said simply, before he fell into a battle stance of his own. "…that is fine…"

"Why do I feel like this is a bad idea?" Alex mumbled softly under his breath.

"If I gotta smash you to pieces again personally to fix you, no problem!" Ketlin hissed out, getting ready.

Hiiro merely snarled and threw his Pokéball forward. The Pokémon coming from it, was none other than Ray, and the Pokémon was most definitely not going to back down, since he fell into position immediately.

Shenleon frowned darkly, snarling, before kicking off from the ground without another word and rushing straight for Ray.

The girl of the group took a deep, slow breath, letting it out, Ketlin's heels began to dig into the ground before she launched herself for Nick, letting loose a series of wild punches and kicks for the boy.

However, Nick deflected the hits almost easily, sidestepping whenever needed before he snagged her by her arm and spun her around to smash back first into the ground.

Ray snorted, his eyes flaring blue as he threw an orb of psychic energy at the charging Pokémon. Of course, that was avoided, and then the Pokémon leaped up - which was what Ray wanted, as it allowed him to stop the Shadow Pokémon in midair and then toss him aside.

Yowling out, hissing as she nearly felt her back snap, the Shonen girls fingers clamped down, snatching onto Nick's wrist "Co…unter…" Kicking into his midsection, the girl managed to spring off from the tree, pulling nick into the air as she began to dance and spiral about, before smashing his head for the same tree in kind. "Shield!"

Nick merely hissed slightly at the hit, before he looked to Ketlin silently - and then lunged forward and buried his left fist into Ketlin's gut.

Shenleon landed on its feet and glared at Ray, before unleashing a burst of Dragonbreath, forcing the Mewtwo to back up out of range.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" the girl yowled, staggering as she began to spit up bits of blood an bile from the attack, hissing as she squinted to the boys fist "Gah…wha…raht?

"…is that all?" Nick asked solemnly, shaking his fist and flexing the fingers - and if you paid attention you could hear the slight clinking of metal coming from beneath the clothes he wore.

Ray solemnly jumped back from Shenleon, before he snorted and prepared another orb of energy. However, before he could throw it, the Dragon type was right in his face and bit down on his arm, the force causing the Mewtwo to yowl in agony.

"Ray!"

"Hru…Hardly" The girl snarled, staggering to her feet again as she flexed her fingers, holding back the wince as her insides began to scream "Ghosts don't die from iron claw, idiot"

"…that so?" Nick murmured softly, just as something in his pocket beeped. "…" Wordlessly, the redhead pulled out a dark purple cell phone and brought it to his ear without a word.

Ketlin's brow quirked, looking the boy over as she focused trying to hear the other end of what was being said on the phone, being ready though still to bring up anything when he moved again

However, the one-sided conversation was over in a flash, ending when Nick almost dropped his phone as his right hand spasmed sharply. "…ah." Grabbing his phone with his left hand, Nick looked down at his right hand - and the countdown that had begun ticking on his 'glove'.

Blinking, the Shonen girl rushed over, taking Nicks wrist and looking to the numbers in shock. "What in arcs…"

However, before Ketlin could get a good look at it, Nick fisted his hand and spun on his heel, dragging Ketlin along and tossing her aside. "…Playtime is over…" With those words, Nick kicked off from the ground, dashing away as fast as he had in the Opal Mines, Shenleon rushing after him shortly after.

"Ah shit!"

**Hmph… fast little brat…**

"Nrgh" the girl hissed, rubbing her sides as she hit the ground. "Ow…why'd I have to be a Ghost with nerves…"

Hiiro sighed in annoyance and hurried over to Ketlin. "Ket, you okay?"

"Yeah…he had those metal knuckle things or somethen," she coughed, spitting up a new bubble of bile from her lips before pulling herself up with a loud hiss. "I'll…be alright."

"Maybe we should get you to a hospital, just to be sure…" Alex said as he walked over. "Or at least the Pokémon Center…"

…**you almost stepped on something.**

"No way were camping…eh?" The girl blinked, looking over to Ray curiously

"Huh?" Blinking, Alex looked over, noticing that he had indeed barely missed stepping on something. Upon picking it up, it revealed itself to be a tiny Persian windup toy. "Where did this come from?"

"Let me see," Hiiro called out, taking the small toy from Alex. "…Oh, I remember these things. Used to be all the rage around here about 10 years ago. All the kids were rushing around trying to get every Pokémon toy back then."

"Toy Pokémon?" Ketlin blinked out, giving a glance to the toy with a frown "What was so special 'bout em?"

"Watch." Carefully, Hiiro wound up the toy, then pulled the key from it and set it down.

As he did, the Pokémon actually blinked and looked around, then give a very good Persian-sounding mewl, starting to walk around the ground.

"W-wow!

"They can also use some of the Pokémon's moves, but those are at random when you get them," Hiiro explained, watching the Persian strut over to Ketlin.

As it moved, the girl did something no one really would have expected; she shrieked and moved so fast it was a wonder if she didn't personally know 'extreme speed', suddenly finding a tall tree to latch onto a branch. "YAAAH!'

"Eh?" both boys exclaimed, looking up to Ketlin in surprise.

"Ketlin? What's wrong?" Alex called up to her.

"Keep that freaky thing away from me!"

At that, both boys exchanged a glance, before turning back to Ketlin.

"Ket, it's just a toy. Get down from there!" Hiiro called out.

Ketlin however, just kept her glare upon the toy, not at all happily at that. "Its freaky! It moves around like it's alive but it's got nothing, it's worse than shadowed things!"

Alex sighed as he picked up the toy. "Ketlin, come on, it's harmless."

"Esh… Alex, I'll keep it with me, okay?" Hiiro said solemnly.

"Yeah, sure," Alex agreed, giving the small toy to Hiiro.

Just as he handed it over, the girl was down again, though now on Alex's back clinging to him from there hissing at the item in Hiiro's hand warily. "Mrrr…"

"Gah!"

Hiiro silently removed his bag and dropped down, opening it and starting to find a good spot to hide the toy. However…

"GAH!" Hiiro yowled as he leaped back, clutching his hand. "Wha-what was that?"

"GAAH I KNEW IT!" the girl yelped nearly choking the life from Alex in surprise.

"Ketlin… I… can't…breathe… like this…"

Ray frowned in confusion as he looked over to the bag. **…Something is moving inside that egg you carry… and it appears to be responding to your body heat.**

Hiiro looked over to Ketlin, rolling his eyes before reaching inside and pulling out the egg he kept in it, still carefully wrapped up in a towel. "Holy… it's hot… Way hot…" Hiiro breathed, beginning to unwrap the towel.

Hearing that, her ears nearly twitching, Ketlin hopped off from Alex's back, making her way over to the egg leaning to it. "Wow, it is. Could match Natsu's heat…"

After rubbing his neck, Alex moved over and crouched down beside them. "Any chance of it hatching soon, then?"

"I'm not sure… we don't know what Pokémon is in it, so I can't say when it will hatch… but apparently it responds to body temperature," Hiiro said with a small frown, placing a hand on the shell.

The girl frowned, lightly rubbing it as she shut her eyes, trying to sense out the growing form within "Hmm…maybe a Magby? Papa said their eggs are pretty warm"

"Magby eggs would be red with yellow, Ketlin," Alex pointed out.

"Maybe this one's color blind"

Hiiro was quiet for a moment, lost in thought, but his eyes were beginning to glow slightly.

"Hiiro? You alright, man?"

"Huh, you tapping something?" the girl blinked out, tilting her head as she spotted the boy's eyes.

No sooner had she said that, or Ray frowned and crouched down as well. **…it's hatching…**

"Wha! Already?" Alex choked out.

As that was said, the egg began glowing a light blue hue, hovering a few inches above Hiiro's cupped hands, soft cracks resounding from the eggshell.

"Eeh! Birthday!" the girl yipped out, looking to the egg in absolute awe.

Slowly, fragments of the eggshell broke off from it, but instead of falling to the ground, they hovered upward and dissolved into soft light, leaving behind only a small, coiled up figure in its stead. And when the last of the pieces disappeared, it floated down to land upon Hiiro's hands, where it gradually lost its glow.

"…oh… wow… wha… what Pokémon is that?" Alex breathed out.

The Pokémon was tiny; it looked almost like a small kitten. In fact, it looked a lot like a tiny Mewtwo, yet not, since its coloration was light gray, and a soft bluish-green along its belly and tail. Plus, its ears were styled more like a Mew's and it had a small tuft of the same bluish-green fur along its head like hair. Its hands had five actual fingers instead of three that were tipped with a ball like Mewtwo's. It appeared to be sleeping, still, with its eyes shut lightly and breathing quietly, its tail lightly moving in the air.

"…I… I don't know…"

Ketlin blinked, sniffing the newborn curiously, before her hand reached up pulling her PokéDex along with it, flipping it on. "Hey Dexy whose this?"

"_**Pokémon unknown. No information available.**_"

"Say wha…?" Alex choked out.

"Good thing papas not here, he'd snatch the little guy up and not let anyone see em for ages," Ketlin blinked out, looking between her PokéDex and the new Pokémon for some moments, before shrugging it off. "Hehe congratulations Hiiry, not only you a papa but now you're a papa to a new newborn!"

Hiiro merely rolled his eyes, looking down to the small Pokémon curiously, running his thumb along its head. "Har har. Ray, can you at least tell if this is a boy or a girl?"

**It's a girl.**

"Ah, thanks.

"Well, one thing's for sure, she's a cutie," Alex chuckled out with a small smile.

"All babies are cuties" Ketlin pointed out

"True…"

Hiiro smiled as he stood up. "Well, would you guys mind setting up camp? I'm going to the center real quick and see if I can get something to eat for this girl," he said with a smile, even as Ray recalled himself to the Trainer's Pokéball.

"Uh sure…don't think this means you can get out of what ya owe me!"

"I know, I know. I'm just gonna get some stuff and then I'll be right back!" Hiiro said with a nod, starting on his way.

Alex chuckled. "Well, let's get started, huh?"

"Sure," the Shonen girl smiled out, starting to empty her bag beside a tree "This spots good"

"Heh…"

* * *

"So… how does that look?" Alex asked as he stepped away.

"Your sides good," the girl nodded, smiling as she jabbed a last stake to the ground to hold her own little shift up tent. "Mine?"

Alex looked over for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, looks good."

"All set then."

"Guess that only leaves mine, huh?" Hiiro said from behind Ketlin.

"Oh, hey, Hiiro."

"Got the grub?"

"Yeah, and some extra stuff, too," Hiiro said with a nod, lightly tapping the carrier bag he had strapped across his chest, keeping the small Pokémon close to him.

"Well, at least you won't lose her like that," Alex said with a small nod.

The girl shook her head. "Maybe not maybe she's a Ghost, if she goes intangible shed probably fall to the Earth's core."

"Let's hope not…" Hiiro murmured, starting to pull out some stuff to set up his own spot.

Alex merely smiled as he sat down next to his own spot. "Whew… what a day…"

The girl chuckled, taking a spot between the boys, before allowing herself to flop down along her back. "Yeah…and nothing worry 'bout Hiiry, you'd be surprised how common that is for Ghost babies."

"Hmhmm…" Hiiro murmured, keeping his focus on setting up the tent.

The Unova Trainer remained silent as he looked up to the heavens. "…Huh… there's a lot of stars out early, huh?"

"Hm?" Ketlin blinked, peeking her eye open enough to let her see up along the sky. "Huh…yeah."

"Mt. Ruby doesn't have a lot of lights during the night, and since we're so high up, it's easier to see them," Hiiro called out as he finished up. "There."

"Name."

"Huh?"

Looking over, the girl nodded simply. "Her name."

"Oh. I haven't thought of one yet…" Hiiro said as he walked over.

"Still? Eash you're already losing good papa points"

"Gimme a break…" Hiiro murmured. "I was a little preoccupied trying to learn how to take care of her, alright?"

"Besides, name of your first kid should be well thought of," Alex pointed out.

"He still needs make up points!" The girl said, holding her hand up as if authoritively, grinning, Ketlin turned to Hiiro, getting uncomfortably close to the boys face "And I have juuuust the thing"

"Hoo boy…"

* * *

"Hmmmm, this is soooo good!" the girls voice purred out, rolling down along the trunk of the tree, a small psychokinetic glow around her body holding her firm as if the tree itself was her center of gravity. "Aaa."

Alex laughed as he watched the girl "roll" about. "Having fun, Ket?"

"Aaah, it's the perfect pitch of black in the night, and this feeling, aah it's like I'm home."

Hiiro cocked his head. "What do you mean, Ket?"

"I don't know, something about this feels like home…I wonder if I'll ever find it again" The girl muttered out, much to the surprise of both boys.

"Wait… Ket, I thought you still lived with your dad and NJ…" Alex pointed out.

"Ket?" Hiiro asked in slight confusion.

"Huh, oh right. You guys don't know papas not my blood papa," the girl blurted out simply

"He's not?" both boys asked at the same time.

"Nuh uh, I don't even know where I came from, Papa just found me when I caused trouble in a town one day."

"Oh…"

Neither of the two were too sure what to say and just exchanged a look, all while Hiiro kept his hand raised and his attention focused on what he was doing.

The girl blinked, looking to the pair before chuckling. "Hey it's nothing guys, Im happy. Before he found me, I was no different than a Pokémon cause my shaman powers were out of control. One day I'd wake up with a pack of Rattata and go looking for nuts, the next I'm trying to understand why I can't fly after a Caterpie." She smiled, looking to the sky above from the branch she was sitting on, or

rather under. "I don't remember where I came from beforehand, I just get this feeling in my soul about what my homeland was like, it feels a lot like this does right now."

"Hm… You know… I think I've heard something like that before… but…" Hiiro murmured, frowning for a moment.

Looking up, or down, The girl blinked looking to Hiiro silently. It was obvious that small statement had her attention in a flash

Putting his free fingers to his temple, Hiiro frowned for a moment. "…Hmm… oh, right. It kind of reminds me of the 'Distortion World'."

"Distor… OH!" Alex gasped in realization. "I've heard of that; that's where the Origin Pokémon Giratina came from, right?"

"Something like that… most of the story is still shrouded in legends and myths, however…" Hiiro murmured.

"Explains why Cynthia was into it so badly…"

"RAAWRH!" Ketlin suddenly roared out, pouncing down the boys , somehow positioning herself so not to hurt the newborn Pokémon. "Say that name again!"

Hiiro blinked in surprise, and Alex stared at her for a moment. "Um… 'Giratina'?"

Still leaning over the pair, the girl's body arched, giving a very visible shiver, despite the sign of being worried or anything the likes, she had a very visible grin on her face that was steadily growing bigger. "That name…"

"Ket…?" Hiiro started slowly, unsure if he liked the expression on the girl's face.

"That name's giving me the chills…I don't know why, but I like it. Who's this Giratina?"

Alex pulled out his PokéDex and typed in a few things. "It's not widely known… From what I heard from Cynthia, it's part of Sinnoh's legends. Ah, here we go." Turning the Dex to face Ketlin, he pressed a single button.

The image on the screen was of a menacing dragon-like Pokémon, protruding golden lines running over its back to come together at its chest, only a few inches (or feet, since the stats beside it labeled it as huge) apart. It had no legs, and instead had only six spikes coming from its slim body. Six tentacle like wings protruded from its back, and a pair of menacing red eyes looked out from what looked like a horned golden mask of some kind.

"Giratina. A Renegade Pokémon. This Pokémon is said to live in a world on the reverse side of ours, where common knowledge is distorted and strange. It was banished for its violence. It silently gazed upon the old world from the Distortion World."

Seeing the Pokémon, the girls hand shot out, snatching up the PokéDex as her eyes went wide, her fingertips grazing along the screen along the legendary's face "…this…this is…"

"Ket…? Are you… okay?" Hiiro asked, carefully placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Ketlin?" Alex called out slowly, waving his hand in front of her face.

Looking to the boys, the girl's grin continued to raise happily. "I know…this guy!"

"Really?"

"From where?"

Ketlin shook her head, looking with awe struck eyes to the PokéDex's screen silently. Before piping up "I don't know where…it had to be back before papa…I always felt safe in my mask…because something about a mask meant strength and protection to me…and looking at his mask…" She trailed off, her fingers again trailing the sharp edges of the Pokémon's face along the screen "It feels…safe."

Hiiro nodded slowly, looking down to the scren as well. "…but then where did you meet him?"

Ketlin remained silent for a time, before chuckling, shutting her eyes as she handed the PokéDex back to its owner. "I'll…have to ask him then"

"That's not so easy…" Alex murmured. "The only known way to see this guy is to bring together Space and Time and open the way to the Distortion World."

"You mean Dialga and Palkia, right?" Hiiro asked.

"Yeah, those two."

"Easy peasy," Ketlin stated, holding her fingers up in a V. "My reunion with Giratania is simple as that."

The boys looked at each other, before they chuckled. "If you say so, Ket," they said at the same time.

"Guys, think about it," the girl grinned out. "I've meet him when I was a baby…if I could do it then, then I can do it again"

Hiiro laughed and ruffled her hair. "We believe you, Ket. Though, right now, I think we should hit the hay. It's getting late."

"Uugh I'm too excited now!" the girl whined, falling into her sleeping bag and flailing about like a Magikarp out of water

Both boys laughed, before they went for their own sleeping bags.

* * *

**The unknown Pokemon is copyrighted to me.  
**


End file.
